Meet Cutes are Better the Second Time
by ChirpChirp1827
Summary: Hunter and Rachel do not fall in love at first sight. But Rachel is beautiful and that's enough for Hunter to ask her on a date when they meet in a music shop.
1. Chapter 1: Familiar Scenes

**Disclaimer: Neither Rachel Berry or Hunter Clarington belong to me.**

 **Meet Cutes Are Better The Second Time**

 **Chapter 1:** Familiar Scenes

* * *

Hunter stepped into the music store with a coffee in hand.

It wasn't his first choice of hang out spot, but it beat hanging around the Lima Bean as Sebastian tried to flirt his way in-between Kurt and Blaine. He didn't really understand why his friend was so interested in the Warblers former golden boy, quite frankly he thought Blaine sounded pretty bland, but he had learned not to question it.

He walked between the shelves, looking for anything interesting.

Sectionals were coming up. Hunter didn't think their competition would actually be any competition, it never hurt to go above and beyond.

He was looking at a collection of Broadway numbers and wondering if the Warblers could actually pull one off, when the bell above the store's door went off.

"Hey Rachel!" the cashier called out. "Looking for something for your glee?"

Hunter's eyes slid towards the doorway, intrigued.

If she belonged to a glee club, it was possible they would go against each other at some point.

The girl standing in the doorway was small, but gorgeous. She had brown hair which seemed to cascade over her shoulders and big doe brown eyes. Her lips were pale pink and the bite of the cold outside had turned her cheeks a matching color.

"In a way, yes," she answered. Her voice reminded Hunter of music even though she was only speaking.

"Ah...Good luck!"

"Thank you."

Hunter watched as she walked across the room. His eyes swept over her body, taking in legs that seemed too long to belong on a girl that short.

Reaching the rows of books on the other side of the room, she begun flipping through them with small fingers.

He watched her for another moment before making a decision.

He shoved the book in his hands back onto the shelf before walking towards her.

By the time he reached her, she was leaning against the counter while flipping through the pages of a book.

He leaned against the other side. He put on his most charming smile before plucking the book from her fingers. "John Mayer? Nice choice. Although, I can't help but thinking a girl as pretty as you probably doesn't have the right kind of tone to sing one of his songs."

He watched the expressions flicker across her face. First surprise, then a flash of pain that had him wondering, before it settled on suspicion.

"It's not for me," she said at last. Her arms crossed over her chest.

"Boyfriend?" he questioned. He certainly wouldn't have been surprised to find out she was taken. She was absolutely beautiful.

"I don't have one. It's for a friend of mine."

The corners of his smile curled a little higher.

"I'm glad," he admitted. "You having a boyfriend would have put a damper on my plans."

Her eye brow arched, something steely and defensive settled in her eyes. "What plan would that be?"

"My plan to ask you out for coffee." He held the cup in his hands up. "I could use a refill. I'd be a lot happier with venturing back into the fall air if I could get to know a pretty girl on the way."

Though her arms were still crossed, some of the tension in her seemed to melt at his words. "I just got here. Why would I want to leave just to get to know a strange boy?"

"Because I'll pay for whatever drink you want?" Hunter suggested. "And I'll bring you back afterwards if you'd like."

She seemed to turn his words over in her head.

At last, she said, "I don't know your name."

"Hunter," he answered. He set the John Mayer song book back onto the counter between them and stuck his hand out. "Hunter Clarington."

She stared at his hand for a moment. Then her arms dropped from her chest and she took his hand. Her palm was soft against his. "Rachel Berry. It's a pleasure to meet you, Hunter."

"The pleasure is all mine," he returned. When she dropped his hand, he tilted his head towards the door, "So, coffee?"

Rachel examined him for another moment before giving a small nod of her head. She snatched the book from the counter and tucked it back into it's place before coming around to his side of the counter.

If his grin got even wider, and maybe a touch more genuine, Hunter didn't notice.

He didn't really know anything about her, aside from the fact that she was absolutely gorgeous and a singer, but something in his gut was telling him that this was going to be good.

* * *

 **E/n:** First things first! This is a canon au taking place in season three! Hunter transfers a year earlier and Rachel and Finn never got back together after the end of season two! She's made up with Jesse, but ultimately decided she couldn't be in a relationship with him again and he's no longer in the picture either.

Now that you know that, I'm just going to say that I have no idea where this fic is going. I just really liked the idea of Hunter and Rachel. They're both people who would do anything to win - ie: crack houses and steroids - and who have a tendency to maybe take things too seriously. And I liked the idea of them meeting this way since I think they're relationship would have a lot of parallels to Jesse and Rachel that would make Rachel a bit weary going into it. They're similar people - something Rachel isn't used to - and from competing show choirs. Even with this being after season two and their apologies, I think Rachel would still be leery of putting herself in a "Jesse" situation again.


	2. Chapter 2: Intentions

**Meet Cutes Are Better The Second Time**

 **Chapter 2** : Intentions

* * *

Hunter was still sitting across from Rachel two hours later.

The conversation had been a little stilted during their walk to a local vegan cafe, one which Rachel had suggested upon telling him that she was a little hungry, as they traded basic information.

However, once they'd gotten that out of the way the conversation had seemed to flow naturally.

Hunter found out that they had similar personalities. Rachel was just as ambitious and goal driven as he was. She hated to lose and struggled when surrounded by people who didn't care as much as she did.

Their differences were clear to him, but they seemed to balanced each other out. Where Rachel was almost too nice, Hunter was almost too rude. When they'd gotten into a small argument on the quality of the Warblers performances prior to Hunter joining, they'd ultimately come to a conclusion that was perfectly fair.

Hunter was so wrapped up in Rachel and the story she was telling him, that he almost missed the buzzing of his phone against his leg.

"Sorry," he apologized as he pulled it out. He glanced at the message on the screen before swearing.

Rachel raised an eyebrow, "Something wrong?"

"I have to go. The guy I caught a ride with is ready to head back to Dalton."

"Oh. I see."

He was pleased to see the shock of disappointment in her eye, happy that he had apparently captivated her as much as she had him.

"Are you still planning on going back to the music store?" he asked. "I can convince him to wait a few extra minutes while I walk you back."

"No. It's getting late so I should head home."

They climbed to their feet in silence, tossing their cups into the trash on their way out the door.

Rachel spoke again when they stepped out into the night air. "This was fun. I'm glad I agreed to come."

"I'm glad you did do." He glanced over at her, asking, "Could we exchange phone numbers? That way we could do it again?"

She hesitated. She rolled her lower lip between her teeth and rubbed at her arms. After a moment, she gave a small nod, "Yeah. That sounds great."

A wide grin spread across Hunter's face as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Fantastic."

* * *

When Hunter reached the Lima Bean, he found Sebastian squatted down in front of the coffee shop. His arms were hanging between his legs, a wide grin splitting his face.

"You look like you had a good day," Hunter observed, strolling up to his friend with his hands in his pockets.

"Absolutely fantastic," Sebastian agreed. "Blaine brought Kurt and-"

"You're happy because Blaine brought his boyfriend?"

"I'm happy because his boyfriend is absolutely gorgeous and fierce as fuck," Sebastian answered. "I mean, the look in his eyes when he was insulting me was just..."

Hunter raised an eyebrow, "I thought you wanted Blaine?"

"I wanted to see what was so great about Blaine. It turns out he's incredibly vanilla and boring."

"And the boyfriend isn't?"

"The boyfriend definitely isn't."

Hunter hummed softly.

Sebastian pushed himself onto his feet, starting towards the parking lot.

"What have you been up too?" Sebastian questioned. "I know you mentioned the music store, but I highly doubt you spent two and a half hours over there."

"Considering you still haven't chosen our numbers for sectionals, I should have." Sebastian rolled his eyes, but Hunter didn't let it affect him. "But, I didn't. I had coffee with a girl."

"Oh really?" He could feel Sebastian's gaze on him as they walked. "What's she like?"

"Gorgeous, for one," Hunter answered. He heard Sebastian give a small huff at the description. "Also brilliant and talented and dedicated."

"She sounds boring."

"You think all girls sound boring."

Sebastian just shrugged. They walked in silence for a minute before he asked, "You going to see her again?"

"Hopefully. She gave me her phone number." He glanced over at Sebastian, "You going to keep texting Blaine?"

"Oh absolutely. It'll lead to a few more encounters with Kurt."

"You're aware that antagonism is not the basis for a healthy relationship?"

"The two of us seem to be doing just fine." Hunter let out a small laugh and bumped his shoulder against Sebastian's. The leaner teen laughed as he stumbled. He shook his head, "Don't worry about it, Hunter. I'm not planning on marrying the guy. Just checking out how his lips would look wrapped around my-"

"Okay!" Hunter interrupted. They were standing in front of Sebastian's corvette now. "I think we should get in the car and sing to whatever shitty CD is in your radio instead of continuing this conversation."

"Oh Hunter," Sebastian said, his voice full of amusement and his shoulders shaking with laughter. He pressed the button on his key chain to unlock the car. Before Hunter could duck in, Sebastian slammed a hand against the top of the car to get his attention. "What about you? Are you going after a quick fuck or...?"

Hunter shrugged. "She doesn't seem like the type of girl who does that sorta thing."

"So, a relationship then?"

"I don't know her well enough for that." Hunter thought back on the afternoon he'd spent with Rachel and found himself smiling a little softer then he had been. "But I don't think I'd be opposed to it."

* * *

 **E/n:** Okay so TBH when I started this story, I always had the intention of Sebastian being a major character in it. I'm not totally into Huntbastian as a rom pair, but as a platonic pair? Sign me the fuck up! So while I had that intention, I wasn't actually planning on Kurtbastian? However, I totally am now. This is still going to focus on Claringberry, but that will likely be happening in the background, so if that's not your cup of tea I totally understand!

Also, I'm a little unsure about the characterization of Sebastian and Hunter? They're both very arrogant and snarky individuals, but here their a bit more like normal seventeen year olds since their interacting with a) a girl Hunter is interested in and b) their best friend. However, please let me know if you think this is too out of character?


	3. Chapter 3: Thoughts of a Girl

**Meet Cutes Are Better The Second Time**

 **Chapter 3** : Thoughts of a Girl

* * *

Rachel laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Today had been a good day.

She had agreed to Hunter's coffee request mostly because he had caught her off guard.

Their meeting in the music store had been just similar enough to her first encounter with Jesse that she had been thrown wildly off balance by it. She'd been thrown further off by his blatant interest in her. She was so used to the names hurdled at her at school – particularly the ones about her appearance which Santana indulged in – that she hadn't been expecting him to call her pretty.

However, she was glad she'd agreed,

Talking to Hunter had been a lot of fun.

He hadn't seemed put off by how much she spoke, instead listening to her stories with rapt attention. He had made it clear near the beginning of their conversation that musicals weren't his thing, but he'd been attentive and asked questions when she informed him of her three dream roles. He hadn't seemed put off by her ambition either. In fact, he almost seemed to like it.

She hadn't felt this way with either of her boyfriends.

Finn had always made her feel like he was second to her, like because his interest in football was more conventional it was automatically more important. Jesse, on the other hand, had shared her every interest and at times she had found it a little overwhelming.

Hunter was neither of those things. While he had informed her that he played on Dalton's lacrosse team and had given her a brief lesson on the game when she'd said she was clueless, he hadn't pushed her to get excited about it. With the interests that they shared, their opinions didn't always line up, but he was respectful about it and she found it almost enjoyable to have someone to discuss her opinions on Katy Perry with instead of simply informing her that she was wrong or that they agreed with her.

No matter how nice it had been, however, the second she had gotten home she had found herself spiraling in doubt.

The meeting had paralleled with Jesse's so well that she couldn't help wondering if it would end in the same disaster.

Sure, she had forgiven Jesse before prom the year before but that didn't magically fix the crack in her heart that had appeared when he'd cracked an egg on her head. And sure, New Directions was a lot closer now then they were before, but she couldn't be sure they wouldn't react the exact same way to her budding affair with Hunter as they had to her romance with Jesse.

She wasn't sure she could take either one of those hurts a second time.

Despite those fears, she didn't exactly want to stop this thing between her and Hunter from growing.

Sure, it had only been one meeting so far, but she liked him and he seemed to like her as well. The thought of throwing that away without giving it a chance, just because her teammates might make some misguided and angry threats, wasn't a thought she enjoyed.

Before Rachel could give it too much thought, her phone vibrated on her nightstand.

She reached for it, bringing it to her face to look at the message displayed on the screen.

 **Hunter: My roommate is trying to convince me that I have to wait three days before texting you. I think he's being ridiculous. If I waited three days you might think I wasn't interested. What's your opinion on when an acceptable time to contact you is?**

A laugh bubbled out of Rachel's throat.

Her chest was warm as she typed out an answer to his question.

No, she decided when she had sent it off and settled her phone on her stomach to wait for a reply, she definitely didn't want to give up this feeling just because her teammates tended to consider their competitions more important than her life.

* * *

 **E/n:** A short and kind of boring chapter, I know. But I wanted to get Rachel's perspective on their first meeting in here and I couldn't find a good way to segway back into Hunter's point of view afterwards.

I plan on primarily writing Hunter's view of things, with the occasional Rachel perspective. Which means lots of Warblers - Sebastian, Nick, and Jeff in particular I think - and probably not a lot of New Directions.


	4. Chapter 4: Conscious Desires

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter 4** : Conscious Desires

* * *

"Wipe the stupid grin off your face." Hunter glanced up from his phone in time to see Sebastian flopping into the desk next to him. "It's eight am on a Monday."

"Shut up," Hunter said.

He checked quickly that their German teacher was still out of the room before returning his gaze to his phone. He propped his elbow up on his desk and leaned into his palm. He wasn't sure if the grin comment had just been Sebastian teasing or not, but he didn't particularly want anyone to see it if it really had been there.

"I find this whole situation truly nauseating," Sebastian declared. Hunter could hear the shuffling of papers as Sebastian drew the materials he'd need for class from his bag. "You're so love-struck you couldn't wait three hours much less three days before texting her-"

"I told you the three day rule was stupid," Hunter commented absently. His fingers were flying across the keyboard of his phone. "She agreed with me."

"-and then you proceeded to text her literally all weekend. I don't think your phone has been further than an inch away from your body since Friday," he continued, unfazed by Hunter's interruption. "And now you're texting her first thing on a Monday morning."

He set his phone back down before saying, "If I hadn't spoken to her this morning, she might have made after school plans before I could ask her out."

"You're going out with her again already?"

"I'm meeting Rachel for coffee at the Lima Bean after school, yes."

Sebastian gave a sigh and a shake of his head. "You couldn't wait another day? Really?"

"We have a double lacrosse practice tomorrow and Warbler practice will run late on Wednesday because we're still fighting over the set list. And I know that you know New Directions meetings last longer on Thursdays because that's the one day you never go to the Lima Bean." Hunter took his phone from his desk as the bell rung overhead and their teacher slipped into the room, tucking it safely into his pocket. "I point blank refuse to wait until Friday to see her when I'm available today."

He found the laugh that Sebastian let out to be extremely irritating.

He questioned, "Why are you giving me advice on when to contact a girl anyway? I was under the impression you didn't usually talk to people a second time."

Sebastian let out an over dramatic sound of hurt. He pressed his palm against his chest and closed his eyes as he curled fingers around his shirt. "It truly wounds me that you see me that way."

"I'm sure. It's not like you go out of your way to give people that impression or anything." Hunter tapped his pencil against his lip before adding, "I was joking but now that I'm thinking about it, I'm genuinely curious. Who told you about the three day thing? You've obviously never had to apply it."

"I heard it in a movie once."

* * *

Hunter stood outside the Lima Bean, leaning against the store window with his hands in his pockets.

"Hunter!" He tipped his head to the side, smiling when he spotted Rachel walking towards him. "I hope you haven't been waiting long. I was a little late getting out of rehearsal."

"I only just got here myself," he assured as she came to a stop in front of him. He took a second to glance over her appearance. She was wearing a navy blue dress with red polka dots scattered across it. The dress had long sleeves which covered her arms and a skirt which twirled around mid-thigh. A red headband had been pushed into her hair. "Do you always dress this nicely for school?"

"I prefer to dress well no matter where I am," Rachel informed. "You never know when you'll bump into someone important."

"True enough." He pushed himself off the wall and held his arm out for her. "Should we go inside then? As cute as you look, I can't imagine you're very warm."

"Some sacrifices have to be made, yes." She tucked herself into his side, looping her arm through his and settling her hand on his bicep. She made a soft sound as they stepped into the coffee shop together, warm air wrapping around them. "I didn't even know we were going out when I got dressed this morning, and yet we still somehow managed to match."

He glanced down at himself. Still dressed in his Dalton, he wore the same navy and red combination as her. He let out a small laugh before suggesting, "Maybe your subconscious was hoping to see me today."

Her lips quirked in a small smile. "That would imply I wasn't aware of that desire."

He felt a flash of happiness at the idea that she had wanted to see him as much as he'd wanted to see her.

As they fell into line with the other customers in front of the counter, he asked, "You said rehearsal ran late. Were you preparing for sectionals?"

"Oh, I didn't mean glee. We aren't meeting at all this week."

He raised an eyebrow, "You aren't? Don't you have sectionals in a few weeks?"

"Yes, but our school musical opens this weekend. Majority of our glee club is involved," she explained. She added, "Also, the idea of us having a sectionals set list this early is laughable. Mr. Schue always waits until the last minute."

Hunter cringed a bit at the thought. "That would kill me. Our sectionals is only the week before yours, but I'm already upset that Sebastian hasn't chosen our songs yet."

Rachel let out a soft sigh, "I wish we had that much time to practice a piece. It would calm my nerves at competitions if I knew we actually had things under control for once."

They were silent for a moment before Hunter said, "So, what musical is it?"

"West Side Story. I'm playing Maria."

"The leading role? Congratulations." He smiled down at her, "I'm sure you'll be fantastic."

"I will be."

A laugh bubbled out of his throat. "Confident."

She gave a small shrug. "I'm destined to be a star."

"You said it opens on Friday?" She gave a soft hum and a nod. "I'll have to come check it out myself. See if you're as good as you say."

"I can assure you that I am." She gave him a grin of her own. "But, I certainly wouldn't be upset to have you in the crowd."

"I'll be there." They stepped up to the counter. He gestured a hand in front of them. "You first then, Maria."

* * *

 **E/n:** So timeline! This fic starts out near the beginning of **The First Time**. I think I already mentioned that Rachel and Finn aren't together and haven't been since the season two break up? Kurt and Blaine are together but Sebastian appeared earlier then he did canonically and the interaction Seb mentions in chapter 2 is actually the interaction that takes place in **Hold on to Sixteen.** I hope that isnt too confusing for everyone?

Reviews, favorites, and follows appreciated! Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5: Flowers and Luck

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter 5:** Flowers and Luck

* * *

When Rachel stepped back stage Friday afternoon, ready for the final rehearsal of the play, she found a collection of people gathered around the vanity she used to apply her make-up.

"What's going on?" she asked.

When Kurt turned away from whatever he was looking at, there was glint in his eye that unsettled her. He pointed at her, "You have been holding back on me, Ms. Berry."

"What are you talking about?"

All at once the crowd in front of the vanity parted and she saw what had caught everyone's attention.

There was a vase filled with yellow flowers sitting there, a silver star sticking out of the top of it.

"Oh." She stepped forward, reaching out to stroke one of the petals. "They're beautiful."

"Uh huh." Santana leaned down, resting her elbows on the desk. "But who sent them? We know it wasn't your dads. They only buy you roses."

"I'm...honestly not sure," she answered. Technically the truth, though she did have a suspicion about who in her life might have bought them for her.

"I guess we'll just have to find out then!" Before she could stop him, Kurt reached forward and plucked the star from the flowers. He stepped out of her reach when she lunged for it, flipping open the card. He read aloud, "Marigolds for a Maria that will be gold. See you tonight, Hunter."

Rachel reached forward when he halted, snatching it from his hands. She turned her eyes down to the words, simultaneously reading them for herself and hiding from the gazes of the people around her.

"Who's Hunter, Berry?" Santana questioned. "Because there's no guy in our school with that name."

"He's a friend," Rachel answered. She avoided looking at the latina as she set the card back into place.

"These are gorgeous flowers," Kurt said. He reached forward, running a finger along one of the flowers. "Not exactly cheap. Not the type you get for a friend."

Blaine said, "You know, you have been on your phone more often recently. Is it because of this guy?"

"I've always used my phone a lot," Rachel deflected. She straightened her back and plastered a smile on her face to hide her discomfort. "Shouldn't we get ready? This is our last rehearsal before the show tonight."

There was a moment of silence where in her two main interrogators just seemed to stare at her, waiting for her to break down.

At last, Kurt nodded. "Alright. But we're not done here, Rachel."

She gave a non-committing hum and watched out of the corner of her eye as he walked away, pulling Blaine with him. The rest of the group followed his cue, wandering off to attend to whatever they needed before they started their run through.

When she was sure they had all moved on, she reached out and took one of the flowers from the base.

She spun it around in her finger, watching the swirl of orange the movement made.

She hadn't technically been lying about Hunter. He was her friend, just one that she happened to have more then platonic feelings for. However, among New Directions omissions seemed to be just as bad.

It wasn't like she wanted to hide Hunter from them, if she had she wouldn't have invited him to come watch the play, but she wanted to enjoy her time with him for a little longer.

She couldn't be sure if they were going to react to him in the volatile way they'd reacted to her relationship with Jesse or the friendly and accepting way they had reacted to Kurt's relationship with Blaine.

She just wanted to enjoy their budding relationship a little longer, and be sure there was an actual relationship, before dealing with that.

Even as her head spun, she found herself smiling as she drew the flower to her face.

A boy had never bought her flowers before.

* * *

Later that night, Hunter found himself completely mesmerized by Rachel.

He'd seen videos of her singing before, they'd gotten into a friendly argument about their show choirs and she'd linked him to one of their performances, but this was more then that. She wasn't just singing, she was performing and she was positively glowing.

Comparing her live performance to the videos he'd seen was like comparing the sun to a desk lamp.

She had just stepped off after one of her scenes, when Sebastian murmured, "Your girl is pretty good, Hunter."

"She's fantastic," Hunter corrected. Knowing Maria wouldn't return to stage for a few minutes, he looked over at Sebastian. "She's always telling me she's a star and that shes going to be on Broadway. I didn't realize until now that it wasn't just a dream."

Sebastian made a low hum of agreement. "I've seen professional shows where the lead didn't have half the talent she does." They were silent for a minute before Sebastian added, "We're going to have to set up a regionals set list as soon as sectionals end. There's no way we're going to beat her unless we give it all we've got."

"She'd beat us single-handedly if we didn't," Hunter agreed.

They fell silent, focusing back on the musical in front of them.

As he watched the performance, he couldn't help the grin that spread over his lips.

Rachel Berry really was amazing. He couldn't believe he'd gotten so lucky as to bump into her at that music store.

* * *

After the show, Hunter split from the other Warblers that were attending and slipped backstage.

He had only just begun searching for Rachel when a tall boy in jeans and a tee-shirt caught sight of him.

"Oh! Hey!" the boy said, walking over to him. "You're one of the Warblers, right?"

Hunter looked him up and down before nodding. "I am. You are...?"

"Finn. I'm New Directions' male lead."

"Ah. Pleasure." He pursed his lips. He didn't remember Finn being in the show, but Rachel had mentioned most of her glee club was. The other boy had likely slipped backstage to speak to his friends. "I'm a bit lost actually. Could you help me find-"

"Sure!" Finn interrupted before he could finish his sentence. "Blaine and Kurt are probably together right now so it won't really matter which one of them you're trying to find."

"I'm not looking for-"

Finn walked away before Hunter finished, giving a jerk of his head to signal Hunter to follow him.

The younger boy frowned at the retreating figure.

After a moment, he reluctantly followed. At least this way he could walk around and search a larger area without getting lost.

It turned out today was his lucky day, because when Finn stopped him at the make-up table, he found Rachel sitting with her eyes closed as Kurt, whom Hunter really only recognized because Sebastian had made dirty comments about the way he looked in a police uniform, wiped make-up from her face. Blaine was straddling a chair beside her, watching and chatting with the two of them.

Hunter's eyes were caught, momentarily, by the bouquet of flowers settled on the desk.

It brought a smile to his face.

Stepping past Finn, he called out, "I see you got the flowers, Rachel."

Rachel's eyes flew open and her head whipped around, jerking out of Kurt's grasp. "Hunter! You came!"

"Of course I did," Hunter answered. He shoved his hands into the pocket of his uniform as he strolled towards her. "I told you I would, didn't I?"

"You did," she agreed. "I just wasn't expecting to see you tonight. I thought you would just text me what you'd thought."

"I wanted to see you though," Hunter said. His words brought a small smile to her face. His grin spread even wider as he reached out to take one of her hands. He brought it up to his mouth and pressed a kiss against the back of it, "And you were absolutely stunning out there. I thought it was only fair that I come tell you just how amazing you were in person."

"Thank you."

She didn't pull her hand out of his.

"Sebastian gave me the keys to the corvette. He agreed to get a ride back with Nick and Jeff," Hunter murmured. He met her eyes as he shifted his fingers to fit between hers. "I'd like to take you out to dinner, if you don't have plans with your cast mates."

Rachel opened her mouth to reply, only to be cut off by another girl saying, "So this is your new boyfriend, Berry?"

He glanced over at the voice, finding the latina girl that had played Anita standing near them with a mischievous grin on her face and her hands on her hips.

Before anything could be said, Finn spluttered, "I thought you turned me down because you wanted to focus on yourself, Rachel!"

Looking between the two of them and Rachel, whose expression was a mixture of shock and embarrassment and anger, Hunter wondered just what he'd gotten himself into by coming backstage.

* * *

 **E/n:** No Rachel/Other story is ever complete without Finn drama. I am fully willing to admit that I thrive off that, no matter how repetitive it is. Puckleberry and St. James fics were they put him in his place about his treatment of her are actually like my kryptonite. So while I'm not going to use it for a long time, I do at least want to write one or two chapters dealing with it.

Also just in case anyone was wondering ( as it's come up multiple times ) Hunter does have his own car. It's just that I imagine he would find it more convenient to carpool with Sebastian when their going the same way. Plus, let's be honest who wouldn't take the chance to drive a corvette?


	6. Chapter 6: Fireworks

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **6:** Fireworks

* * *

An awkward silence reigned over the group.

Hunter glanced around, trying to assess the situation.

Kurt looked like the cat that had just caught the canary. There was a wide grin on his face as his eyes darted between Rachel, Hunter, and Finn. It was as though he had front row seats to some big event.

Blaine's eyes were darting around the group as well. He looked like he knew something was about to go down and was significantly less excited about it then his boyfriend. He actually looked a little worried.

Both the latina girl, Hunter was really beginning wishing he'd actually taken a glance at the program to figure out her name during the show, and Finn were focused on Rachel.

The girl had the same look of glee on her face as Kurt, only it looked malicious. While Kurt looked as though he just wanted to witness the drama unfold, she looked as though she wanted nothing more then to be the one stirring the pot.

The look on Finn's face was a mixture of hurt, longing, and anger.

Going off both the look and what Finn had said when he'd heard the girl's question Hunter and Rachel's relationship, there was something between Rachel and her fellow lead.

It set Hunter on edge.

Rachel definitely hadn't spurned his advances and things seemed to be going well between the two of them, but Finn clearly thought he still had some sort of claim on her.

And though it calmed him some what that Rachel hadn't pulled her hand from his, hadn't tried to put distance between them in the face of someone who she clearly had history with, it wasn't enough to completely stomp his feelings down.

Realizing no one else was going to say anything, Hunter said, "I'm not Rachel's boyfriend."

"Oh really?" questioned the girl. Her predatory gaze shifted from Rachel to Hunter. "You sent her flowers, you're holding her hand, and we all just heard you ask her out on a date. You sound pretty interested to me."

"I am interested," Hunter answered. The girl's eyes widened, as though she was shocked by Hunter's honesty. He latched on to that and took out some of his irritation at the hope sparking in Finn's eyes out on her, "It's a little sad that you're so surprised by the idea of courting a girl before dating her. Has no one ever wanted you bad enough to chase you?"

Her glare went sharp on the edges as she snapped out, "I'll have you know there's a whole line of people wanting a piece of this."

"The fact that you think guys chasing after you for sex and me pursuing a relationship with Rachel are on the same level is truly laughable," Hunter answered. To rub the point in further, he added, "I'm doing this just for even a slight _chance_ at a relationship with her. You've clearly let people get a lot further with a lot less."

"Oh my god," Kurt murmured, his voice shaking with amazement. "He's a total asshole. No wonder he knows Sebastian."

Behind him, Hunter heard Blaine chide, "Kurt, everyone in the Warblers knows Sebastian."

Hunter filed it away from further notice that Kurt had apparently latched onto his small statement about driving Sebastian's car. Given Sebastian's interest in him, he was sure to be glad to hear about it.

His attention was snapped away from the thought by Finn joining the conversation with, "Rachel isn't going to go out with you no matter what you do."

Hunter looked away from the girl, to focus on Finn. He raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"No." The firm confidence in his voice only served to irritate Hunter more. He couldn't wait to tear into him the way he had the Anita actress. "She's not interested in dating anyone right now."

"She seems pretty interested to me," Hunter answered.

"She's not," Finn repeated. "She's busy...finding herself or something."

Hunter had another retort on his tongue, only to have it die there when Rachel spoke up, "I told you I couldn't be with _you_ while I was finding myself. I never said I couldn't be with anyone."

Hunter glanced over at her. He was so used to seeing her eyes sparkle with amusement or excitement, that he was almost taken back by the anger held in them. He found they looked just as beautiful when flickering with negative emotions as they did when twinkling when positive ones.

Absently, he wondered if he would ever find something about this girl that he wasn't attracted to.

"And," Rachel continued, "you have no right to tell Hunter I'm not interested in him."

"You can't be," Finn argued. He took a step towards Rachel. Hunter decided immediately that he wasn't okay with that and slid sideways so he was between the two of them. Finn's eyes narrowed, but he stopped his steps. He looked over Hunter's shoulder at Rachel as he added, "You love me and I love you. It's been the two of us for the past two years."

"I may have loved you," Rachel answered, and Hunter was quick to catch the past tense of the statement, "but you have never loved me. You lead me around before our relationship, lied to me throughout the whole of it, and then left me alone in the freezing cold after it! The only times you have ever really been interested in me are when I'm interested in someone else!" Her grip on Hunter's hand tightened as she bit out, "What we had in the past doesn't give you a right to dictate my future."

Silence fell for a moment before Rachel nodded, satisfied. She tugged on Hunter's hand, pulling him away from the group.

"Kurt," she called out once Hunter had gotten with the program and began following her lead, "I'm going out with Hunter. Would you and Blaine be so kind as to drive my car to my house?"

"Sure thing, diva," Kurt answered. "Just make sure you text your dads where you are."

"I will."

"And know I'm going to grill you about this whole thing tomorrow!"

"I know."

* * *

As they stepped into the parking lot, Hunter tugged on her hand. Taking control, he steered her towards the edge where Sebastian had parked the corvette.

"So, I know I asked you out to dinner," Hunter said, breaking the silence that had settled upon them since she had stormed the two of them of them out of her the auditorium, "but there's a city garden a little ways from here I think you might enjoy. There's a frozen yogurt place across the street that we can go to before walking through. They have a few vegan options you could try."

Rachel made a soft hum. She asked, "Why the change in plans?"

"You seem pretty angry," he said. "It's secluded enough that you can sing there and get it all out without anyone bothering us."

She turned to face him. She looked confused. He found it kind of adorable. "You want to take me to a park to sing about how angry another boy made me?"

"Sure."

"Don't boys dislike girl's thinking about others when they're on dates?"

"You left with me, didn't you? And I think you made it pretty clear your feelings for him aren't romantic."

"I did and they aren't." She quiet for a moment before saying, "Sing for me while we're there."

Hunter grinned at her, "Rachel, are you asking me to serenade you?"

"It doesn't have to be a love song, I'd just like to hear you sing," she said. She gave him a small smile as she admitted, "However, having a boy sing his feelings to me as always been a weakness of mine."

He laughed. "Somehow I don't find that very surprising."

"So, will you do it?"

He nodded and assured, "I'll sing for you tonight."

* * *

They spent almost an hour at the park before Rachel brought it up.

She had treated him to a stunning rendition of P!nk's _So What_ as soon as they'd arrived, but then they'd settled on a bench surrounded by flowers that seemed to glow in the dying sunlight to eat their frozen yogurt and talk.

"I'll have to get home soon," Rachel declared as he wrapped up a story about his first lacrosse game at Dalton. "I was promised a song."

"You were," Hunter agreed with a small nod. He stood up. When she went to follow, he shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder, "Stay."

"Alright..."

He took a moment to stretch out before crouching down in front of her.

"Give me your hand."

She looked him oddly before holding out her right hand, her left resting palm down on the bench beside her.

Hunter took her hand in both of his. He made sure she was looking him in the eye before beginning.

" _And I think you're from another world,"_ he sung, " _and I, I couldn't love another girl. 'Cause you, you make me feel like I'm intoxicated_."

He felt a swell of arrogance at the way her eyes widened once he started. Clearly she hadn't realized how good he was at this, despite knowing that he shared the lead roll with Sebastian.

" _In a room full of frozen faces, in a moment of fractured time, we eclipse in a conversation. As the words they pass us by,"_ he continued, grinning at the way her whole body relaxed. She was swaying slightly as he sung to her, despite the lack of actual music. "' _Cause I think you're from another world. And I, I couldn't love another girl. 'Cause you make me fee like I'm intoxicated, toxicated."_

He went through the rest of the song, playing with her fingers as he crooned to her in the night air.

As he wrapped the song up, the notes of the final 'toxicated' falling into the night air, silence fell over them.

Neither of them moved.

After a moment, Rachel murmured, "Earlier you told Santana you were doing all of this for a chance at relationship with me."

"I am," Hunter said. He dropped his gaze from hers, focusing instead on their joined hands as an uncharacteristic nervousness filled him. "You're a beautiful girl, Rachel, and I like you. A lot."

"Ask me then."

His eyes flitted back up.

He found her looking down at him with a softness in her eyes and a shy smile on her lips.

His tongue darted across his lips. He murmured, "Rachel, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Of course, Hunter. I happen to like you an awful lot as well."

She leaned down then. Hunter's eyes drifted shut in anticipation.

When their lips touched, fireworks exploded.

* * *

 **E/n:** lol see what I did with the chapter title. Bc when your not expecting the ending you think it's about the fight in the beginning, but it's actually about Hunter being a total sap and liking Rachel a whole lots.

Anyway, what did you guys think? I think the fight scene may be a little bad...I did my best but to me it feels rushed and a bit all over the place? Like their cutting each other off more then having an actual argument if that makes sense.

I'm also wondering what you guys think of Hunter and Rachel being together? Does it seem too soon? I think it seems like the natural progression of things, but let me know!

Finally! The song Hunter sings to Rachel is Intoxicated by The Cab.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7: The Game Plan

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** 7: The Game Plan

* * *

"Hunt! There's a girl on the phone for you!"

Hunter tugged his practice jersey the rest of the way over his head before turning towards Jeff.

The blonde, the only other warbler that was also on the lacrosse team, was standing in front of Hunter's locker with his phone in his hand. Rachel's picture lit up the screen.

He heard someone in the room let out a whistle. "Your girl is hot as hell, Hunter!"

"Get your own girlfriend!" Hunter called. He hopped over the bench, having wandered to Sebastian's locker to talk strategy for their next game, and made his way down the row. He snatched the phone from Jeff's hand. He pressed it to his ear, "Sorry about that, Rach."

"It's no problem," Rachel answered. There was an undercurrent of amusement in her voice. "I'm actually a little surprised you answered. Don't you have practice today?"

"We're in the locker room changing now." He hip checked Jeff out of his way and opened his locker wider to pull his helmet out. He ignored the chuckles he could hear coming out of the blonde's mouth. "Not that I mind talking to you, but why are you calling if you knew I had practice?"

"I was planning on leaving you a message," Rachel answered.

"About?"

"Our date today." He heard her sigh before saying, "I have to cancel. Finn and Santana got into it today and now we're doing a dodgeball game after our respective glee practices."

"Oh."

Hunter pursed his lips. It was already Tuesday and he hadn't seen Rachel since asking her out officially.

She'd had shows of West Side Story to perform all weekend so he hadn't gotten to take her out.

He'd been looking forward to seeing her.

It was a little cheesy, but he wanted to take her out and hold her hand knowing she was his girlfriend. He wouldn't object to kissing her again either.

"If you're not playing until after glee, I could just pick you up," Hunter suggested. "We were only meeting at the Lima Bean because I wouldn't be able to get all the way to McKinley before you got out of glee. The extra time should be more than enough."

She went quiet for a moment. Then she said, "You don't mind?"

"I'd mind more if I didn't get to see you until this weekend," he admitted.

There was a roar of mocking 'aws' around him.

He settled the phone between his shoulder and ear, raising both middle fingers up over his head.

"Okay," Rachel said. She sounded happy. Hunter hoped it was because of him. "We should be done around five."

"Practice ends at four. More then enough time for me to drive there." He glanced around, noticing most of the team had finished changing. "I should get going."

"Alright. Have a...nice practice?"

She sounds so unsure of the words that Hunter can't help laughing. "I will."

* * *

Hunter was leaning against the hood of his car, a shiny silver jaguar that had been his sixteenth birthday present, when the school doors swung open.

He searched through them until his eyes locked on her.

She was turned away from him, wearing small black shorts that had him fighting to keep his gaze off the curve of her ass and upper thighs. Her hair was swept to one side and dark with sweat around her forehead. Her cheeks were a soft rosy pink. Whatever she was saying had her mouth pressed into a small frown.

He considered not calling out for her, waiting for her to notice him instead.

Then he saw Finn Hudson come out of the school.

It wasn't like Hunter thought Rachel still had feelings for the other man, her rant Friday had made that clear, but he really didn't like the way the boy looked at Rachel.

"Rachel!" Hunter called out.

She turned away from the blonde she was talking to.

Her eyes locked on Hunter and a bright smile came over her face.

She held up one finger.

He nodded in understanding.

As she turned back to the girl, Hunter let his eyes drift back over to Finn.

The older boy was looking at him. His eyes were stirring with anger.

Hunter plastered on his most obnoxious smirk and raised his hand. He waved his fingers.

Satisfaction rose in his stomach when he saw a scowl settle over Finn's face.

"Sorry for making you wait!" He looked over to see Rachel jogging towards him. His smirk gave way to genuine smile.

"I haven't been here long," Hunter answered.

He reached out when she was close enough, snagging one of her wrists and pulling her close. She laughed as she stumbled into him. She braced her hands there and Hunter let his slip down to her waist.

"So," she drawled. One of her fingers hooked on the navy blue of his jersey. "This is new."

"It is," Hunter agreed.

She hummed before glancing up, "You did shower after practice, right?"

He let out a soft laugh before nodding. "This is a clean jersey too. I just didn't have time to run back to my room for actual clothes."

"Good. I'd hate to make you go all the way back to Westerville just because you stunk."

He gave another laugh before leaning down.

She rose up on her toes, meeting him half way and connecting their lips in a kiss.

It was soft and on the chaste side, but when he pulled away he was a little out of breath.

"You," he murmured, "are a very good kisser."

"You aren't so bad yourself." She rocked forward to connect their lips in a quick peck. "Coffee?"

"That is what I promised you."

When she pulled away from him, he settled a hand on the small of her back and walked her around to the passengers side door. He opened the door for her, bowing and sweeping his hand in front of it.

After she'd settled in, he straightened up.

Over the top of the car door he noticed that Finn Hudson was still watching them.

* * *

Rachel was at her locker that Friday morning when Kurt approached her.

"You're wearing his clothes," he murmured.

She bit her lip as her hand fell away from the textbook in her locker.

She grabbed the edge of navy blue sweatshirt she was wearing with the tips of her fingers. The front of it had 'Dalton Academy Lacrosse' written across it with two crosses crossing in bright red. The back of it was adorned with a large number twelve in the center while Clarington ran across the top.

"There's a game tonight," Rachel said. "Hunter asked me to attend."

Kurt was quiet for a minute.

Rachel felt panic rising in her chest.

This was the first time they'd talked about Hunter since reconciling after her dropping out of the race for student body president.

He'd been so willing to tease her about Hunter during the musical that she had assumed that would stay the case. She'd forgotten that Finn was his brother and he might be upset with Rachel for turning him down.

"Rachel," Kurt said at last, his tone low and grave, "while I'm sure Hunter will appreciate the sexiness of the combination, you can not go to a Dalton lacrosse game in that skirt."

Stunned, Rachel could only let out a soft, "What?"

"It's going to be freezing tonight," Kurt informed. "Not to mention the fact that everyone will be able to see up your skirt when you walk up the bleachers."

"Oh..." Rachel hesitated for a minute. She licked her lips before saying, "You know, I'm not really looking forward to watching the game alone. Maybe you could come with me?"

"Oh, sweetie, you'd get lost if I didn't come with you. Lacrosse is practically a religion at Dalton. Rich kid football, I guess." She felt her heart swell with happiness. It was nice to have her best friend back. "We won't have time to go to either of our houses after glee if we want to get good seats, but I think there's a blanket in my car from last weeks football game."

"You'll make sure my skirt doesn't flip when I'm walking?"

"I'll make sure your skirt doesn't flip when you're walking," Kurt assured. He held out his arm. Rachel latched on immediately, looping her own through it. As they started walking down the hallway, he said, "I want to meet him after the game. The time he spent bitching Santana out in your honor last Friday was nice and all, but it wasn't exactly a great introduction."

"We're going out with his best friend afterwards," Rachel said. "You can join us."

"Perfection." Kurt glanced at her as they fell quiet. He took in the way the sweatshirt hung off her body, several sizes to big, and how she seemed to fold herself into it with a serene smile. "You're happy with him."

"It's very new," Rachel answered. She looked over at Kurt, her smile brightening, "But I am. Extremely."

He gave a small nod and patted her arm. "Good. That's all I want."

* * *

 **E/n:** I am honest to god surprised no one reviewed the last chapter? Hunter and Rachel got together and none of you had anything to say about it!

On the note of this chapter however: I am an absolute sucker for lacrosse. I genuinely like the sport and I've watched entirely too much Teen Wolf. It's not going to be a huge part of this fic but it is going to be a part of it.

Can't wait for the best friend meeting next chapter and seeing Kurt's reaction to Sebastian.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	8. Chapter 8: Best Friend Warning

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **8** : Best Friend Warning

* * *

Hunter fell into step with Sebastian as the taller boy left the Chinese classroom.

"This is interesting," Sebastian commented, glancing over at Hunter.

"Is it?" Hunter questioned. "Last I checked we spent most of our time together."

"Last I checked you had World Studies fourth period," Sebastian shot back. "And yet, here you are on the opposite side of the building not five seconds after the bell rung."

Hunter gave a small hum instead of an answer. He tucked his hands into his pockets, keeping the textbook for his next class locked against his body, as they strolled down the hallway.

They were halfway to their fifth period chemistry class when Hunter said, "Rachel is bringing Kurt to the lacrosse game with her so she won't be alone. He's going to come out with us after."

"Oh?" Even though Sebastian's voice was coated in disinterest, Hunter could see the way his shoulders had straightened at the news.

"Yeah." Hunter watched him out of the corner of his eye as he said, "I know you like arguing with him, but tonight is your chance. If you're serious about wanting a shot with him – and I sure hope you are because I'm not helping you worm your way into Rachel's best friend's relationship for a one night stand – then tonight is your chance to show him you're not a complete boyfriend stealing asshole." He added, "And to maybe make it clear that it's him you're trying to steal, not his boyfriend."

"I got it." They lapsed into silence for a moment before Sebastian asked, "My feelings for him aside, how are you feeling about meeting him? Kurt's extremely protective of the things he cares about. He's not going to let you take her if he thinks you're going to hurt her."

"I don't think that will be a problem."

"No?"

"No," Hunter repeated. "I'm not planning on hurting her after all."

Sebastian let out a snort. "Straight people are so cheesy."

"Shut up." Hunter bumped his shoulder against Sebastian's, "Besides, I'm your best friend. Aren't you supposed to be more worried about me than her?"

"I was simply warning you what Kurt would do if something were to happen." Sebastian's lips parted in a shark tooth smile. "I have every intention of telling her what I'll do to her if she hurts you after the game tonight."

* * *

Kurt hovered around Rachel at school.

He was relieved that she chalked it up to him making up for the time they'd loss while on the outs with each other.

She was in such a good mood that he couldn't bring himself to to explain anything to her.

He couldn't tell her that part of his hovering was because Finn wouldn't confront her about the name on her back when he was around or that Tina had asked him already if he thought Hunter was another Jesse waiting to happen.

He couldn't tell her that he was refusing to leave her side as much for himself as he was for her. Because Blaine wouldn't try to make up, wouldn't try to talk his way out of the fact that he'd taken Kurt's virginity because Artie had told him too not because he wanted to, with him when Rachel was around.

So Kurt stayed glued to her side for the day, questioning her about her relationship with Hunter and enjoying the smile that lit her face when she talked about him, and pretended that there weren't a hundred problems lurking outside of their little bubble.

* * *

Hunter led Sebastian out into the crowded parking lot next to the lacrosse field.

There were a number of people, both students and parent, still loitering around so it took him a minute to spot Rachel.

She was standing with Kurt next to a black navigator. Kurt was leaning against the car with his arms crossed, covering the logo on what looked to be an old Warblers sweatshirt. Rachel was facing him, speaking with wide gestures of her hands.

Hunter felt a shock of delight when he saw his name scrawled along her shoulders.

"When'd you give her your sweatshirt?" Sebastian asked.

"Monday. She was cold when I dropped her off. It happened to be in the back seat of my car."

Sebastian's tone was amused and disbelieving as he drawled out, "Uh huh."

Hunter ignored him in favor of strolling across the parking lot. He could hear Sebastian's laughter as he fell in step behind him.

"Rachel," Hunter called out as he drew closer.

She turned. A bright smile spread across her face when she spotted him.

"Hello," she greeted as he reached her. She stepped close to him and rose up to her tiptoes to press a kiss against his lips. "You played well tonight."

He heard Kurt snort. "She has no clue what she's talking about."

"Well, he's not wrong," Rachel admitted as she rocked back down to her feet. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ears as she added, "But, Kurt told me you played well so I thought I'd pass the compliment along."

"Much appreciated," Hunter said. He slung an arm around her shoulders and tugged her into his side. He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Even if you had to get someone else to tell you."

"They'll just have to keep coming to games," Sebastian said as he reached them. "Kurt can teach her the rules next time."

Hunter watched nervously as Kurt's eyes settled on Sebastian. His lips pursed.

Next to him, Rachel cleared her throat.

Kurt's eyes flickered to her before a smile flitted across his face.

He gave a heavy sigh before saying, "I love Rachel dearly, but she can't even understand football and she's _played_ that before. I could bring her to a hundred lacrosse games and she still wouldn't get it."

"You've played football?" Hunter questioned, glancing down at his tiny girlfriend.

"It wasn't really playing," Rachel insisted. "McKinley's football team had the equivalent of a civil war and the glee girls stepped in so they'd have enough players for their championship. All I did was lay on the ground while the boys ran plays."

"Tina ran the ball once, didn't she?" Kurt mused.

Rachel nodded, "She did. Mike freaked out when she got tackled."

Hunter hummed. He said, "I bet you looked cute in a football uniform."

"Let's stop that thought right there," Kurt interrupted. "I don't need your gross heterosexual hormones all over my backseat."

"We're taking your car then?" Sebastian asked.

Kurt gave a small nod. "I've got enough room for all four of us and your bags. I'll drop you guys off at the dorms once we finish and then take Rachel back to Lima."

"Sounds like a plan," Hunter agreed. "Bas, you can sit up front with Kurt. Rachel and I will take the back." He didn't leave any room for argument, pulling away from Rachel and walking around to the back of the car. "Pop the trunk, Kurt?"

* * *

 **E/n:** So a few things!

1) someone expressed confusions so let me clarify: the events in this fic runs concurrent with the events in the canon season three. Meaning that since this fic starts off during **The First Time** Rachel and Kurt were fighting over the presidential race. Last chapter moved into the events of **Mash Off** (hence the dodgeball game mentioned) and they've made up now.

2) going with the changes that Hunter/Rachel makes to canon means that Blaine was alone in trying to lose his virginity. And because I changed Sebastian and Kurt's first meeting, it also means that scandals didn't happen. However, Kurt and Blaine do sleep together and Kurt is now upset because he's found out that Blaine slept with him because of Artie's suggestion not because he was actually attracted to him. I HOPE I explained this well in the chapter - or at least well enough for it to be pieced together by you guys - but I thought I'd just let you know down here in case you didn't pick it up.

3) and lastly! I feel bad! I didn't mean to make you guys feel like you had to review if you didn't review chapter six, I was just trying to explain that I found it surprising that the chapter where Hunter and Rachel got together was the one that didn't get any reviews.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	9. Chapter 9: Dancing the Night Away

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **9:** Dancing the Night Away

* * *

Later that night, the four of them were laughing as they stumbled out into the parking lot of the restaurant they'd gone to eat at.

The ride over had been a little uncomfortable, filled with Sebastian and Kurt sniping at each other, but as dinner progressed things had mellowed out.

When Rachel and Kurt found out Sebastian's top choice school was NYU, they'd dragged him into a conversation about his favorite places in the city. This had led to them talking about Sebastian's time in Paris and Hunter had shared stories about the places he'd seen as the son of a high ranking navy official. Hunter had laughed for a solid five minutes when he found out that Kurt had accused Sebastian of looking like a meerkat, having CW hair, and looking like a horse all in the same five minutes and Sebastian had retaliated by informing them that Hunter absolutely lost his shit when people put splenda in his coffee. Kurt and Rachel had offered up embarrassing stories about each other – Rachel apparently had a habit of storming out like a toddler and Kurt had an unrealistic amount of tardies for his first period because he refused to leave his house mid-way through his morning skincare routine.

By the time they'd finished their meals, they were all loose with happiness and feeling fond of each other.

"I feel too giddy to get in a car right now," Rachel confessed as they walked through the parking lot. She was tucked on Hunter's arm again. he really didn't have any complaints about her tendency towards physical affection. Her cheeks were rosy from the warmth of the restaurant they'd just left and her brown eyes were sparkling with glee. "I want to dance. Kurt, do you have anything we can dance to in the car?"

"Of course I do." Kurt picked up his pace, making his way ahead of them and to his car. Hunter watched as he opened the passenger door and started searching in the glove box.

"Here?" Sebastian questioned. "In the parking lot?"

"When I was a warbler we did a performance of When I Get You Alone in the Gap," Kurt said. His voice carried over to them as he let out a small 'ah ha'. He leaned over further, stretching to stick his keys in the ignition. "If I can step into the Gap and sing that very sexual song in public, you can dance in a mostly empty parking lot."

There was silence as Kurt flipped through tracks on the CD he'd just put in.

"Got it!" he called out after a moment. He pushed himself out of his car after rolling down the window so the music would flow out to them.

As the music started to play, Rachel's mouth stretched into a wide smile. She spun out from under Hunter's hand, grabbing him by the hand instead. "Oh! I love this song Kurt!"

As Rachel led Hunter in a few steps, the stereo began to sing, " _Baby why don't we just turn that tv off. Three hundred fifteen chapters of nothing but bad news on. Well it might be me but the way I see it the whole wide world has gone crazy. So baby why don't we just dance."_

"Country music?" Sebastian said. There was a certain amount of disdain in his voice. "Really?"

"Oh hush, you snob." Hunter watched over the top of Rachel's head as Kurt snagged Sebastian by the wrists. "Just dance with us."

" _Guess the little bitty living room ain't gonna look like much. when the lights go down and we move the couch its gonna be more then enough for my two left feet and our two hearts beatin. Nobody's gonna see us go crazy."_

Hunter spun Rachel into him. Instead of spinning her back out, he kept her close to him.

"You know," she murmured as they swayed together, "you should really be less obvious with your attempts at matchmaking."

Hunter quirked an eyebrow at her. "If you knew what was going on, why didn't you stop me?"

She hummed. She was quiet for a moment before saying, "Kurt was supposed to be my Tony. Everyone had agreed not to try out for the part because Kurt needed the role to help his NYADA application."

"But Blaine went against it?"

"In a rather underhanded way." Hunter spun her back out now, letting her lead him into the next steps of their dance. "He auditioned for a different part with a Tony song."

"So on paper, he was doing what he agreed to do while still showing themselves he was good for the role."

Rachel nodded. "While I think it's acceptable, unavoidable even, to step on toes in show business, I don't agree with hurting the people you care about. If Blaine really cared that much about playing Tony, he should have just been upfront about it."

"Fair enough."

" _So baby, why don't we just dance? Down the hall, maybe straight up the stairs. Bouncin off the wall, floating on air. Baby, why don't we just dance?"_

Hunter said, "So you're not team Blaine?"

"Not particularly," Rachel admitted. "But that doesn't mean I'm team Sebastian either. I just want Kurt to know he has options, because I don't think he understands that right now."

"Fair enough," Hunter repeated. He lifted his arm and she spun under it. "Will you at least give me an idea of what will help Sebastian win him over?"

Both of their gazes drifted towards the other pair.

Kurt had his hands on Sebastian's shoulders and his head thrown back in laughter as Sebastian scowled down at his feet.

Sebastian was good at club dancing and good with the more complex Warbler numbers, but he rarely danced with a partner like this.

" _Baby, why don't you go put your best dress on? Those high heeled shoes you love to lose as soon as the tunes come on. On second though, just the way you are is already driving me crazy. So baby, why don't we just dance?"_

"He's doing a pretty good job all by himself," Rachel said. They moved together in silence for a few moments before Rachel asked, "Do you have your sectionals set-list ready yet?"

"Why?" Hunter questioned. "You aren't facing us. Spying would be pointless."

"Not to spy on you," Rachel informed. There was a glint in her eye as she met Hunter's. " Kurt and I are very similar people. He enjoys being serenaded just as much as I do."

Hunter flipped through the list of numbers they'd been tossing around for sectionals.

His mind latched onto one and a grin spread across his lips. "I think I can do something about that."

" _Down the hall, maybe straight up the stairs. Bouncing off the wall floating on air. Baby why don't we just dance? I'll cut a rug. Well it might be mean but the way I see it, the whole wide world as gone crazy. So baby, why don't we just dance? Oh baby, why don't we just dance?"_

As the song came to a close, Kurt called out, "Another song, Rach?"

"I could go for another," Rachel agreed.

"No more country," Sebastian pleaded. "I'm begging you."

Hunter shook his head in amusement. "You listen to boy bands religiously and you're criticizing Kurt for Josh Turner?"

"Boy bands huh?" Kurt had pulled away from Sebastian when the song ended, but tossed a look over his shoulder as him now. "Harry or Louis?"

Sebastian didn't hesitate to throw out, "Niall actually."

As Rachel laughed in his arms and Sebastian bickered with Kurt, Hunter felt a warm fondness seep through his chest.

It was nice when the people he cared about were just as happy as he was.

* * *

 **E/n:** Okay so I know a few of you might not like the emphasis on Kurtbastian, but 1) I did warn you in the early days of this fic that Kurtbastian would be a big part of it and 2) even though I was going to wait longer for it, I wanted to do a fun arc before things got serious. I wanted Hunter and Rachel to have some fun memories together before Finn really became a problem - and honesty if you thought I was just gonna leave it at one confrontation you are so wrong - or anything else happened. Plus by having Kurtbastian established then, they'll have Kurt and Sebastian even further in their corners and allies are always good.

Also Sebastian's affinity for boy bands in 1000% canon lbr. He song Glad You Came AND Live While We're Young.

The song in this chapter is "Why Don't We Just Dance" by Josh Turner.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	10. Chapter 10: The Direction We're Moving-

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter 10:** The Direction We're Moving In

* * *

"Mr. Schue!" Rachel said as she entered the choir room. Kurt followed on her heels, gripping the strap of his messenger bag and looking exasperated. Majority of the glee club was already gathered and their eyes went to her as she strolled towards the piano. "I understand that it's crucial to be in practice this week seeing as sectionals is so close, however Kurt and I will be leaving today."

"What?" Mr. Schue questioned. He turned from the sheet music he'd been looking at to stare at the two of them. While Rachel had a tendency to storm out of rehearsals, she had never outright missed one before. "Why?"

"We have a prior engagement to attend to," she responded. "Even leaving now will cut it a little closer, however I was determined not to ruin my perfect attendance record."

"What prior engagement?" Quinn asked. "Because I can't imagine anything being more important than practicing for sectionals."

"I would argue that this doesn't count as practicing for sectionals seeing as we have yet to finalize the set-list," Rachel pointed out.

"The Warblers have sectionals today," Kurt cut in, before anyone else could question them. "We were invited to watch."

Finn's gaze locked on Rachel. He demanded, "By who?"

Rachel met his eyes without hesitation. "Hunter asked me to come. He and Kurt met on Friday and he suggested Kurt join me so that I wouldn't be alone. Several of Kurt's friends are Warblers, so he agreed."

"Don't you think it's weird for him to ask you to skip practice when we're a week away from sectionals?" Finn said.

"I'm offended that you think a day off practice is going to affect my performance at sectionals," Rachel said. "And your implication that Hunter invited me for that reason is entirely facetious. He invited me because he's my boyfriend and he wanted me there to support him. He'll be attending our sectionals for the same reason."

Finn's gaze hardened. He bit out, "You can't think we'll believe that after what happened with St. Jerk."

Kurt interrupted before Rachel could answer, saying, "You don't have any right to have an issue with Rachel's relationship, not when no one had an issue with me and Blaine after I transferred back." Before anything else could be said, Kurt held an arm out for Rachel. "Come on, Diva. If we don't leave soon, we really will be late and I don't want to listen to Sebastian complain."

"You're hanging out with Sebastian?" Blaine questioned.

"He's Hunter's best friend. The four of us bonded last Friday," Rachel said. She turned her head away from Finn, turning towards Kurt instead. She looped her arm through his. "We really do have to go now. I just wanted to let you know that we wouldn't be around today."

Without another word, the two of them turned away and strolled back out of the club room doors.

They were quite a ways down the hallway before Kurt said, "I'm coming with you so that you won't be alone?"

"Uh huh."

"The fact that Hunter was trying to set Sebastian and I up on Friday has nothing to do with it, then?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Kurt let out as soft chuckle. He patted Rachel's arm. "Whatever you say."

* * *

"You two are so lucky I like you," Nick complained as the Warblers left the green room. "There's no way I would be performing this set-list otherwise."

"I don't know who you think you're kidding," Hunter said. "You were practically jumping for joy when I suggested a One Direction Medley."

"That's because we're sharing solos for Story of My Life," Nick pointed out. "Not because I actually like them."

"You tell yourself that." Hunter glanced around before finding Sebastian. The Warbler's Captain was leading the group. His shoulders were set in a tense line. Hunter patted Nick on the back before saying, "I'm gonna go talk to Bas."

"Kay."

He wiggled his way through the group before reaching his friend. As he stepped up beside him, Hunter murmured, "You've got this. You've been practicing for weeks."

"Because I like the song," Sebastian answered. His words were muffled as he was chewing on the corner of his bottom lip. "Not because I had feelings for someone."

"It's going to be fine," Hunter repeated. "You're going to find Kurt in that crowd and sing that song to him. He's going to fall in love with your voice and then maybe with you."

"You think?"

"Yeah." Hunter bumped their shoulders against each other. "And if he doesn't, then it's his loss. You might be a pain in the ass and kinda horrible, but you're still a pretty good catch."

Sebastian's teeth let go of his lip as he smiled. He returned Hunter's gesture, knocking their shoulders together a second time. "You're not supposed to tell me I'm horrible. You're supposed to tell me I'm a great guy."

"You aren't a great guy though," Hunter said. "That's what makes you and Kurt so good together."

The door leading into the backstage area was ahead of them now.

He heard Sebastian suck in a deep breath. "Let's hope Kurt sees it that way."

* * *

" _Lately, I found myself thinking, been dreaming about you a lot"_ Sebastian sung _, "And up in my head I'm your boyfriend, but that's one thing you've already got."_

As the Warblers launched in a dance routine that was equal parts ridiculous and amazing, Rachel turned her focus to Kurt.

His blue eyes were locked with Sebastian's green ones. His lips were pressed tightly together, but the corners of his lips were turned up. His arms were crossed over his chest, but his grip on his forearms had loosened.

He looked pleased, happy even.

Rachel found herself smiling as she turned back to the stage.

Kurt had gotten the message and it seemed like he liked what he heard.

* * *

Hunter was leaning against the side of the bus when Sebastian appeared.

After the awards ceremony, Kurt had swept their captain away from the rest of the Warblers for a chat. Hunter had walked Rachel out to Kurt's navigator, he had apparently given her the keys and told her to wait for him, before making his way to the bus where the rest of the Warblers were waiting.

"So?" Hunter questioned. He looked over Sebastian, noting the bright smile on his lips and the way his eyes seemed to be sparkling. "What'd he say?"

"He liked it," Sebastian declared. "He likes me."

"And Blaine?"

"He wants to wait until after sectionals to break up with him. Apparently New Directions has a habit of melting down right before competitions and Kurt doesn't want to risk that happening."

"But a break up is coming?" Hunter asked.

"But a break up is coming," Sebastian agreed. They stood there grinning at each other for a moment before Sebastian's face softened. "Hunt…thanks for this. If you hadn't stepped in, I probably would have just kept sniping at him in the Lima Bean instead of getting to know him on Friday and then putting all this together."

"No problem." Hunter cocked his head towards the bus. "Now, come on. We gotta get back to Dalton. There's a regionals competition to prepare for."

* * *

 **E/n:** So not a lot (or any really) claringberry in this one, but rather the resolution of Kurtbastian? Their not together quite yet, but they will be soon!

Next chapter will likely skip straight to New Directions Sectionals competition and then we'll go from there?

The parts in this chapter were a little shorter then normal, I hope it didn't seem too choppy?

The song used in this chapter is: "I Would" by One Direction. And while they aren't mentioned, I imagine their medley also included "Story of My Life" and "Diana" by the same.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	11. Chapter 11: Support

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **11** : Support

* * *

"I'm not going to be competing in sectionals, so you shouldn't feel obligated to come."

Hunter stared blankly at Rachel.

The two of them were sitting in the Lima Bean. She was cradling a large chai with both her hands, watching him over the rim of the cup. His cinnamon latte was set on the table between them.

"I'm sorry, what?" he questioned. "Because it sounded like you just told me you weren't competing in sectionals."

"That's exactly what I said," Rachel said. There was a nonchalance in her voice, as if she was just stating facts, but Hunter could see the tense line of her shoulders. "I'm suspended for a week. Thus I can't perform for the school at Sectionals."

"You're suspended?" he repeated. She gave a small nod. "I know we didn't have much time to talk, but I saw you on Wednesday and everything was fine. What happened?"

Her gaze dropped from his. She set her mug on the table but kept her hands wrapped around it. Her eyes settled on the foam as she muttered, "I stuffed the ballot for class president."

"Didn't you tell me you dropped out of that?"

" _I_ did. Kurt didn't." Her fingers flexed, her grip on her coffee tightening. "I just wanted him to have something. Blaine took Tony from him so the election was the only thing he had left to add to his NYADA application. He needed it."

"It's not a bad thing to try and give your friends the things they need," Hunter said. He reached out and peeled the fingers of her left hand from her cup. He laced his own fingers through hers, gripping her hand loosely. "And I'll still be at sectionals."

"But why?" Rachel questioned. "You'll miss lacrosse practice."

"Well, for one I already got permission to miss lacrosse practice. It would just be weird if I showed up," Hunter said. "Then there's the fact that Sebastian was planning on going to see Kurt and I'm probably going to have to stop him from starting a fight." He squeezed her fingers as he added, "And I'm certain you're going to be going to cheer on your teammates. I know how much it's going to hurt you to see them on stage without you. I wouldn't leave you alone to deal with that."

Her tongue darted across her bottom lip. She murmured, "I knew I had to come clean about the ballot to keep Kurt from getting in trouble. I just didn't realize I was going to have to sit out of my last sectionals competition."

"I'm sorry." He lifted their joined hands to his mouth, pressing a small kiss to her knuckles. "But, you'll have regionals."

"And nationals," she added.

He smiled against her skin. "You'd have to beat us for that."

"We will." There was a steely confidence in her voice that sent a spike of relief down Hunter's spine. She lowered their hands, standing up and leaning across the table instead. She stopped before their lips touched, whispering, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He pushed up and sealed their lips together.

* * *

Hunter moved through the row of seats. Sebastian followed behind him.

Rachel was turned away from them, speaking to the redheaded woman sitting beside her. The woman looked just a little bit overwhelmed.

Hunter resisted the urge to laugh as he came up behind Rachel. He brought his hands up and settled them over her eyes.

Instantly, her own hands stopped their gestures and came up to rest on his.

"Hunter," she said, "I told you to text me when you got here so I could come get you."

"You texted us your seat number," Sebastian said. Hunter cast a glance over his shoulder as he lowered his hands from Rachel's face, finding that his friend had already settled into the further of the two chairs Rachel had saved for them. "We didn't exactly need an escort."

Rachel turned to face them. "I suppose that's true..."

"Rachel," the woman said. All three of the teens looked at her. Hunter took note of the worried exasperation on her face. "You didn't tell me your friends were from Dalton."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize I'd neglected that detail." Her casual brush off had Hunter resisting the urge to laugh again. Rachel gestured between them, "Hunter, Sebastian this is Ms. Pillsbury. She's the guidance counselor at my high school."

Sebastian and Hunter exchanged glances. Then Hunter plastered on his best prep school smile and held his hand out for the woman, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am."

"Oh um..." the woman glanced nervously down at Hunter's outstretched hand.

"She's mysophobic," Rachel informed.

Hunter dropped his hand. "My apologies."

"Ms. Pillsbury," Rachel said, drawing attention back to her, "this is Hunter Clarington and Sebastian Smythe. Hunter's my boyfriend and Sebastian is a close friend of Kurt's."

"Very close," Sebastian piped in. Hunter didn't have to look at him to know there was a smug smile on his face.

"Okay..." Ms. Pillsbury drawled. She looked a little confused by Sebastian's comment. Hunter supposed that was for the best. "Is that why you boys are here?"

"We're supporting Kurt, yes," Sebastian said.

With introductions made, Hunter settled down into the seat between Rachel and Sebastian. He let his hand drop onto Rachel's thigh, a silent show of support for her.

She sent him a small smile.

* * *

Rachel led Sebastian and Hunter through the venue, holding one of their hands in each of their own.

After a few twist and turns, Hunter heard the faint strands of excited conversation and laughter. They turned around corner and found a collection of teenagers in white jackets.

"Kurt!" Rachel exclaimed as she pulled them towards the crowd.

The group turned to see them.

Hunter noticed the smiles drop from a few of their faces when they saw him and Sebastian.

"Diva!" Kurt answered.

He pushed through the group just in time for Rachel to launch herself into his arms.

"You were fantastic!" Rachel said. She pulled away from him to look at the group behind him. "All of you! Quinn, you were great in Control. Noah, your solo during Man in the Mirror was exceptional. And Michael! You did absolutely fantastic! I knew you were practicing hard, but you've improved so much since your duet with Tina last year!"

The Asian boy in the group rubbed at the back of his neck and gave a small, sheepish smile. "Thanks, Rach..."

"And you!" Her attention went back to Kurt. "You did so well in ABC! It's a shame you didn't get a part in Man in the Mirror as well!"

"Thank you."

He pressed a kiss against her cheek before letting his arms drop from around her.

Rachel dropped her own and took a step back towards Hunter and Sebastian.

"Well, don't you three make a funny picture," Kurt commented as his eyes swept over them. His lips quirked in a small smile when he reached Sebastian. "With Rachel flanked by you two giants, she looks even smaller than normal."

"It pays to be a foot taller then most people." Sebastian leaned forward as he spoke, resting one of his arms on Rachel's head. "You can intimidate them a lot easier."

"You aren't intimidating anyone," Rachel declared. She turned her head back to glare at him. Hunter laughed when Sebastian only moved his arm to her forehead instead of pulling away. "And you are not a foot taller then me."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "One inch doesn't count."

"It does!"

"Rachel said that you guys don't do anything after competitions?" Hunter said, interrupting the argument.

Kurt nodded, "Not usually, no."

"Then come out with the three of us after the awards," Hunter suggested. "We passed a Dairy Queen on the way over here. Sebastian and I will treat you to congratulate you on your win."

"We haven't won yet."

Sebastian, Hunter, and Rachel spoke at the same time, "You will."

"Kids!" Hunter glanced behind to find a man with slicked back curls coming towards them. "Come on. We've got to get ready for the awards."

The group had to pass the three of them to get to the man and Hunter took note of the looks they were giving them.

Blaine's lips were turned in a frown as his gaze shifted between Sebastian and Kurt. Finn deliberately bumped his shoulder against Hunter's. The Asian girl was eyeing Rachel and Hunter with something like suspicion.

"I'll have to convince Mr. Schue that I have a ride home," Kurt said. "But as long as I do that, I'll be there."

He stopped to press a kiss to Rachel's cheek before following the rest of the group. Hunter saw his hand brush against Sebastian's as they passed and the grin that the gesture had spreading along his friends face.

"Come on," Hunter murmured. He settled his hand on Rachel's lower back. "We've got to get back to our seats if we want to see them get the trophy."

* * *

 **E/n:** A quick timeline note since I think it might be a bit confusing.

The Warbler's sectionals took place on Wednesday during the week of **"I Kissed a Girl"** and the first section of this chapter takes place during Friday of the first. New Directions sectionals - obviously - take place the following week during the episode **"Hold on to Sixteen".**

I also tried to include a hint about some of Rachel's friendships for this fic in this chapter. It's pretty obvious so I don't feel the need to reiterate them. The pezberry sucker in me wanted to do that as well, but I don't see that happening with Sebastian on Rachel's team.

Review and follow/favorite if you enjoyed!


	12. Chapter 12: How to Treat a Girl

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **12** : How to Treat a Girl

* * *

"So I'm going to be heading to D.C in the morning," Hunter said.

He and Rachel were strolling down her street, admiring the glittering Christmas lights her neighbors had put up. Hunter had needed a break from musicals – he really didn't mind them, but four in a row would have been his breaking point – and she'd suggested going for a walk to make up for all the sitting around they'd been doing.

"Why?" she questioned. She didn't seem annoyed with his sudden departure, just intrigued. "I thought your mother wanted to stay in Ohio for the holidays?"

"She did, but both of my brothers live in Arlington and my oldest brother's wife just had a baby. She's not really up to traveling," Hunter explained. "So she agreed that my father, her, and I would stay in the DC house and go to see them on Christmas."

"Oh I see." Rachel cupped mitten covered hands together, blowing hot air on them. Their arms were linked so the motion brought him closer to her. "When will you be back?"

"Not until the New Year," he confessed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Everything was kind of up in the air. Mom thought Warner might want to spend his first Christmas as a dad with just his family and Emerson wasn't sure he'd be docked on Christmas."

"It's no problem," Rachel assured. "I'll admit I'm a little upset that I won't get to see you for such a long time, we spend a remarkable amount of time together for people who live an hour apart, but I can't begrudge you for wanting to spend the holidays with your family."

"Glad to hear it." He ducked down to press a kiss to her cheek. He pulled her gently in the direction of her house once he'd straightened up. "You are freezing. Let's head back."

Rachel pursed her lips. She glanced up at him. "You'll stay for dinner? And a movie after?"

He could recognize it for what it was – her wanting to spend as much time with him as possible before he left.

He grinned and ducked down again, pressing his lips to hers this time. She let go of her grip on him in favor of wrapping her arms around his neck.

Paying no mind to the fact that they were standing on a public street, Hunter set his own hands on her hips to tug her closer and deepened the kiss.

When they pulled apart their lips were flushed as red as their cheeks.

"Of course I'll stay," he said, shifting to press his forehead to hers.

"Good." She tipped up so their lips brushed, murmuring, "Now kiss me again before Ms. Bradley opens her curtains."

He let out a soft laugh. "As the princess wishes."

* * *

Rachel stared at the boy on her front steps in shock. She'd seen Sebastian two days ago – they'd met up for lunch the day after Hunter left – and they hadn't made any plans for today.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned. She knew it sounded rude, but her mind was running in circles trying to figure out if she'd missed a text message.

"Chill," Sebastian said, reaching up to flick her forehead with gloved hands. "I can practically see you freaking out. I'm just dropping something off from Hunter before I head over to Kurt's."

"From Hunter?" Rachel questioned.

"Yeah. He said Hanukkah started today?"

"Oh." She frowned. "He didn't mention it. I thought we would just exchange presents when he got back."

"It wouldn't be a surprise if he mentioned it," he answered with a roll of his eyes. "Now, hands out."

Frowning, she did as she was told.

Sebastian reached into his pocket and pulled out a small square wrapped in blue and silver paper.

There was a small card taped on top of it.

"And with this, my part is complete," Sebastian declared. He shifted, seeming to debate something. Then he darted in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Happy Hanukkah, Rachel."

"Thank you." As he walked back down the steps to his car, she called out, "Merry Christmas, Sebastian!"

He waved a hand above his head without turning to face her.

She waited until he had pulled out of her driveway and taken off towards Kurt's before she peeled the card from the gift.

Written in Hunter's scratchy lettering were the words, _When you wish upon a star your dreams come true._

She tucked the card safely into her pocket before peeling off the wrapping paper. Inside she found a small black box. She flipped it open and her lips stretched into a smile as soon as she saw what was inside.

The earrings lying in the case were beautiful shining gold stars. Their centers were hollowed out except for one large diamond sitting in the center of each.

She stepped back into the house, closing the door as soon as she was clear of it.

She wanted to get them into her jewelry box, she didn't dare wear something as beautiful as them to school when slushies could be thrown, as soon as possible. Then she would need to find her phone and thank her boyfriend.

* * *

The next morning, Rachel opened her door to find Kurt standing there. He was holding a large white box in his hands while his face was spread in a wide grin.

Kurt didn't wait for an invitation to come in. Instead, he pushed past her and called out, "Come on, Diva. Up to the bedroom so you can try on your present."

"Present?" Rachel echoed. She closed the door before following behind him. "From who?"

"Hunter, of course!" Kurt answered. "Last week, he came up to me to ask what kind of dress you would like. I told him he had the fashion sense of a giraffe and informed him that it was creepy to pick out clothing for his girlfriend."

"Then what's in the box?" Rachel questioned.

Her mind was spinning with all the information. She'd spoken to Hunter the day before, to thank him for the earrings, and he hadn't given her any indication there was another gifts.

"A dress," he said. They had reached her bedroom now. He shifted the box to one hand and opened her door with the other. He marched over to her bed and set the box down on her sheets. "I picked it out. Hunter paid for it."

Kurt glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was standing close before flinging the box open.

He pulled the dress out in a swift motion, holding it out in front of himself.

The top of the dress was made of small white ruffles. The white skirt was only just visible under a collection of silver mesh. There was a thick silver band tied around the waist line.

"Oh Kurt," she sighed. Her breath had been taken by the gorgeous ensemble in front of her. "How much money did you spend on that?"

"Not much, I promise," he assured. "Though, Hunter didn't really give me a budget. He just kind of handed me his credit card and told me to make sure it was perfect."

"He shouldn't have," Rachel murmured. She took a step closer to Kurt, running her hand over the fabric. "The earrings yesterday had to have cost a good amount as well."

Kurt's eyebrows raised. "He gave you a present yesterday as well?"

"Sebastian dropped it off before he went to yours."

He took a moment to process this before a sly grin spread over his face. "Well, then Ms. Berry. I think it's safe to say you've got six more days of presents to look forward to."

Her eyes widened. She ripped her gaze away from the dress, looking him in the eye instead. "You don't think he's really...?"

"Oh I'm certain he is." Kurt didn't let her say anything else. Instead, he shoved the dress into her hands and then shoved her towards her private bathroom. "Now, go put it on! I want to make sure you look as lovely in it as I anticipated."

* * *

Hunter was smiling down at his phone when he felt a heavy arm drop onto his shoulder.

"Whatcha looking at, baby bro?" Emerson questioned. He peered at Hunter's screen. He let out a low whistle when he saw the photo displayed. "That your Rachel?"

"Yes," Hunter confirmed. He clicked off the photo of Rachel in her new dress and shoved his phone into his pocket. "One of our friends sent me a picture of her in her Hanukkah present."

"You bought her a dress as a Hanukkah present?"

"One of them. I sent her earrings yesterday."

"I assume you got her presents for all eight days then?" Hunter gave a small nod. He heard his brother hum in thought. "I thought mom said you two hadn't been dating very long?"

"We haven't. Only two months."

"That's a lot of dough to be dropping on a girl you haven't been with very long."

Hunter watched him out of the corner of his eye.

Emerson's body was loose, relaxed as if the implication of his statement wasn't hanging between them.

"She didn't ask me to buy her anything," Hunter said after a moment. "I'm fairly certain I'll have to listen to an angry rant about all of this once Kurt leaves." He walked away from his brother, heading towards the stairs so he could make his way to his bedroom. "I just wanted to do something for her. She hasn't told me the whole story, but I get the feelings her past boyfriends didn't exactly treat her right. I just want her to know that I will."

* * *

On the 23rd, Quinn showed up at Rachel's doorstep with a rectangular package wrapped in the same paper as Sebastian's. She said that Hunter had messaged her on facebook, explained that Kurt had told him Rachel and Quinn were friends, and then asked her to make her delivery.

When Rachel opened the package she found a sterling silver jewelry box with 'Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade' engraved on the side in looping black letters. Next to the lyric was a umbrella made of bright red gemstones with blue raindrops pounding against it.

The two of them transferred her jewelry to the new box before settling onto her couch for a movie marathon.

On the 24th, Noah showed up. He recounted a similar story as Quinn and tacked on that her boyfriend should find a different hot Jew without plans on Christmas eve next time because the roads sucked.

She'd let Noah in, because really the roads were horrendous and she didn't want him getting into a wreck on his way home, and they went to her room after ordering Chinese. The gift he'd brought turned out to be a silver hair pin with flowers on it that shined like flames in the light. Rachel had Noah use the skills he'd picked up after years of helping his sister get ready for ballet recitals to put it in her hair.

She spent the rest of the day in the basement with him, singing music by various Jewish artists as he played his guitar.

On the 25th her daddy gave her a box which contained a charm bracelet made of white gold. On the 26th her dad gave her box containing three charms. Each charm represented one of her three dream roles – Evita, Funny Girl, and Laurey from Oklahoma.

On the 27th, Sebastian and Kurt showed up together. They brought with them a box containing a pair of silver high heels with gems on the straps that would go perfect with her dress.

Kurt had demanded that she break them in and she spent the rest of the day being dragged around with him to take advantage of the after Christmas sales as Sebastian grumbled about being stuck carrying their bags.

* * *

On the morning of the 28th, she opened her door and found her breath knocked straight from her lungs.

Hunter grinned at her. "Hey Rach."

"I thought you were staying in D.C until the New Year," Rachel murmured.

"I got sick of it. I'm spending the rest of break at Dalton with Sebastian." He glanced down at her outfit. "I'm glad to see you're already dressed for the day."

"I've gotten used to my friends barging into my house," Rachel answered. "You spent way too much money on me, you know?"

"So you've been telling me." He held a hand out for her. "That's why today's present is something that didn't cost me anything."

"What would that be?" she asked.

She set her hand in his.

He lifted it to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

It was a habit of his that usually befuddled Rachel. She didn't understand where he'd picked up an action that was straight up out of a film.

"Me," he declared. "And however many songs you want."

"You'll sing for me?" Rachel asked.

Hunter nodded. "I figured you would enjoy a personal concert."

She supposed it would have sounded narcissistic to someone who didn't know her. However, anyone who did would realize just how great the gift Hunter was offering was. There was nothing she enjoyed more than music.

"I will." She took her hand from his and stepped closer to him. She wrapped her arms around him. A small, content sigh left her lips when she felt his come around her. "I missed you."

He nuzzled his face against her hair and squeezed her a little tighter in his arms. "I missed you too."

* * *

 **E/n:** Considering where I started this fic, we get the holiday chapter in the beginning of November. Poor timing, but unavoidable. One of the most disappointing parts of Glee for me was the way they brought up Puck and Rachel's religion during normal episodes and then ignored it during the holiday chapters? I'm not Jewish but I felt like that was a really shitty way to handle that representation.

Also Hunter's idea of how to treat a girl is so skewed. It's one part being a rich boy who can absolutely afford to treat a girl like a princess and one part over compensating for how bad he thinks Rachel's past relationships were (and I mean, she definitely deserves it TBH).

Next chapter the drama will start because now New Directions and the Warblers are directly in competition!

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	13. Chapter 13: The First Confrontation

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **13:** The First Confrontation

* * *

"Is it just me or does it feel like something bad is going to happen today?" Rachel questioned.

She was standing in front of her open locker while Kurt leaned against the one next to her. His books were settled in his arms with his phone resting on top of the stack so he could watch for incoming messages.

"It's not a feeling. Something bad _is_ going to happen," Kurt corrected.

"You think so?" Rachel said. She plucked her first hour book from her locker as she glanced over at him. "It's only the first day back..."

"Honey, think about it. You are dating one of the Warblers lead soloists. Do you remember what this team did last time you were dating our regionals competition?"

"You were an instigator of that," she pointed out.

"Yes, but I wasn't the only one. I guarantee you that the only reason no one has brought it up to you yet is because the Warblers weren't our competition before now."

She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, biting down on it. "You'll be on my side this time, right?"

"Of course," Kurt assured. "They aren't exactly going to be happy with me either, you know."

"You haven't told anyone about Sebastian though..."

"No, but I dumped Blaine before Christmas break," Kurt pointed out. "You know how they get with break ups. They always choose a side."

"You don't think they'll side with you?"

Kurt shook his head. His smile dimmed a bit as he said, "The boys are more comfortable with Blaine. Santana, Quinn, and Brittany have never really been close to me. And I've been ignoring Mercedes and Tina's calls because they just want to talk about the break up. I'm not exactly their fav gay right now."

"I'm sorry, Kurt."

"Don't be. You may have been a catalyst for it, but this has all been my decision," Kurt declared. "You didn't force me to break up with Blaine. I choose to do that because I wasn't happy in that relationship and I wanted a chance to be happy with Sebastian."

The bell rang over their heads.

"Come on then, darling," Kurt said. He shifted his things to one arm and held the other out for Rachel. "It's time to face the monster head on."

* * *

When Rachel and Kurt walked into glee after school, they found the rest of the club already waiting for them.

Most of the club were seated in the chairs in the back of the room.

Santana, Mercedes, and Tina were standing in the front of them.

"Listen up, Man Hands," Santana declared before either of them could speak, "now that I'm back on this team, I'm determined to make sure we win regionals. For that to happen, you are going to have to break up with Chip Skylark."

"Is that a reference to Hunter's teeth and that one song?" Kurt mused. "Shiny Teeth and Me?"

"I would appreciate if you would refrain from calling Hunter names seeing as you have only spoken to him once," Rachel said, ignoring Kurt's words. "Also, I fail to see how my relationship with Hunter is any of your concern or why it would cost us regionals."

"Are you kidding me?" Mercedes questioned. "We kicked the Warblers ass at regionals last year. This years competition starts getting closer and all of a sudden one of their soloists wants to date you? That's got St. Jackass 2.0 written all over it."

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest as she answered, "The situation with Hunter is completely different."

"It's the exact same situation!"

"It's not." Every head in the room whipped towards Quinn when she spoke. She was phased by the attention, carrying on, "Jesse never put any effort into his relationship with Rachel. It was because he didn't care about her, only about his ultimate goal. Hunter cares for her enough that he was willing to stalk my facebook and then drive all the way to my house to deliver a Hanukkah present for her when he found out he wouldn't be in town."

Santana snapped out, "She can take fucking Hudson back if all she wants is someone to care about her."

"Oh _puh-lease_ ," Kurt cut in with a roll of his eyes. "I love my brother dearly, but we all know he never really cared about Rachel. He wouldn't have put her through half the shit he did if he really cared for her."

"That's not true!" Finn objected. He pushed out of his chair. "I love Rachel!"

"You love the way Rachel makes you feel," Kurt argued. "You love feeling like you're out her league, like you're the best choice."

A tense silence fell as Kurt's words.

It was Tina who broke it, saying, "What is wrong with you, Kurt? First you start spending all your free time with Rachel and her boyfriend, then you dump Blaine and ignore Mercedes and me, and now you're fighting with your brother over Rachel's relationship?"

"Nothing is wrong with me! I'm defending Rachel and spending time with her because she's my best friend and I care for her! I dumped Blaine because it wasn't working and I'm ignoring you because all you want to talk about is Blaine!"

Rachel stepped closer to Kurt. She put her hand on his arm.

He looked over at her when he felt the contact. He let out a sharp exhale.

When she felt some of the tension seep from Kurt's muscles, Rachel turned her attention back to New Directions. She squared her shoulders as she said, her voice unwavering, "Hunter is not playing me the way Jesse was. I refuse to break up with him just because you think so."

"I am not losing another competition over your fucking love!" Santana shouted.

"What's going on in here?" Mr. Schue questioned as he slipped into the room. He stopped, glancing between them all. Rachel and Santana stared each other down. "Girls?"

"It's nothing, Mr. Schue," Santana said at last. She spun on her heel, strolling back to her seat next to Brittany. "We were talking about how we're going to win regionals."

"Oh. That's good. Rachel, Kurt take your seats please."

* * *

"Are you supposed to be here?" Hunter questioned Sebastian. "Aren't the two of you keeping your thing hidden until its not so obvious he dumped Blaine for you?"

Dalton didn't start back up until the week after McKinley.

As such, Hunter had decided to surprise his girlfriend by picking her up from glee club on her first day back.

"There's not exactly a sign above our heads screaming that Kurt and I are together," Sebastian argued. The two of them were sitting on the trunk of the corvette. Four coffee cups sat in the space between them. "I don't exactly carry him around in my pocket like you do Rachel."

"That's because you would have to detach your lips to do that," Hunter said. "You coming with me wouldn't have anything to do with today being the first time Kurt's seen Blaine since the break up, would it?"

"Nope," Sebastian answered. He plucked his drink from the circle, taking a long sip of it. "I just didn't feel like hanging out at Dalton with a bunch of people I hate when I could hang out with you guys."

Hunter let out a snort. "You are so full of shit."

"You are free to believe whatever you want. It doesn't make it true." He cocked his head towards the opening doors of the building, "I think they're coming out."

Sure enough, when the doors opened all the way members of Rachel's glee club started coming out.

Santana stalked out first. There was an intense look of anger on her face. Her hand was wrapped around the sleeve of Finn's jacket, pulling the boy along with her. They were trailed by a blonde Hunter didn't recognize as well as the Asian and black girls whose names he didn't know.

They were followed by a group of boys. Blaine was the only one Hunter recognized.

He felt a flash of satisfaction when he saw Sebastian's shoulders relax a bit upon seeing Blaine walk out without Kurt.

Puck and Quinn exited the building next. Puck's arm was slung around her shoulders as he led her to a red truck.

Finally, Kurt and Rachel came out. Their arms were linked and their heads bowed together.

"Should we wait and see if they notice us?" Hunter questioned.

"And risk not making a spectacle of ourselves?" Sebastian said. "Never."

Hunter watched as Sebastian slipped off the trunk. When he was standing straight, Sebastian cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Barbara! Gay face! Over here!"

Hunter didn't have to look around to know Rachel and Kurt weren't the only ones who turned to face them.

"I told you to stop calling me that, craigslist," Kurt said as he directed Rachel towards them. There was a scowl on his lips, but a playful light in his eyes.

"And I told you to stop calling me craigslist," Sebastian answered.

As Kurt and Rachel came closer, Rachel detached herself. She slid up to Hunter without a word and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.

A frown settled on Hunter's face as he wrapped his arms around her. He settled his chin on top of her head as he met Kurt's gaze, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Kurt said. "Nothing we didn't expect to happen."

"Expecting it doesn't make it better," Hunter argued. He rubbed his palm in a circle on Rachel's lower back. "Are you okay, Rach?"

She nodded. Her words were muffled by his shirt when she spoke, "I'm just sick of doing this dance with them all the time. I don't understand why they seem to think Finn is the only person on the planet who could possibly like me."

"They're dumb," he said. His pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "And I like you plenty."

"I know." She squeezed him tighter for a split second. Then she shifted so her ear was pressed against his chest and her eyes were on Sebastian and Kurt. "What are we doing today?"

"Well, I was thinking we could go ice skating before the season ended," Sebastian suggested.

"Sounds great," Rachel said. "I'm going to need to hone my skills if I ever want to get a part in a play on ice."

Sebastian shook his head and hid his smile in his coffee cup. "You would make it about singing."

* * *

 **E/n:** I am really unsure about this chapter? I tried to do the fight in typical New Directions style - pure pandemonium with like ten different people joining the fight as it happens - but I think it just came out relatively shitty and choppy and rushed instead? Your reviews would be really appreciated this chapter!

There's a little hint in here about what Santana's next move is. It's a pretty obvious one I think.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	14. Chapter 14: The Sing Off

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **14** : Sing Off

* * *

"I need your help," Hunter declared as he opened the door to his and Sebastian's dorm room.

"I'm not spending an hour helping you with our assignment for German," Sebastian answered without looking at him. He was seated at his desk with a textbook open in front of him and a calculator by his side. It was only their first day back from break. Sebastian's blazer had been thrown onto his bed and the sleeves of his button up rolled to his elbows. From the doorway, Hunter could see the arms of Sebastian's glasses hooked around his ears.

"Fuck you, I am great at German," Hunter said. "And that is not what I need your help with."

"Does this involve me driving all the way up to Lima to deliver another gift to Rachel?"

"No, but it does involve going to Lima." Hunter dropped his books onto his bed before pulling his phone from his pocket. He pulled open his messages before walking across the room. He pulled Sebastian's chair out, ignoring the protest he let out, and turned him around. He shoved the phone into his face.

Sebastian leaned back, putting distance between his face and the phone screen. He squinted to read what was written. "Sing off, 10pm."

"I'm pretty sure it's from someone in New Directions given that it's a Lima area code and I don't know anyone else around there that would challenge me to sing off."

"Do they realize we go to boarding school?" Sebastian wondered. "And that we have a curfew?"

"You used to break curfew all the time."

"One or two of us sneaking out to Scandals is not the same as every Warbler sneaking out to go sing in a fucking parking garage."

Hunter's eyebrows furrowed. He glanced down at his phone, "Parking garage?"

"That's what that address is," Sebastian informed, gesturing to the line under the message. "Kurt programmed it into my GPS. It's between all those stores he drags me to when he goes shopping."

"A parking garage," Hunter repeated. He looked up at Sebastian, "I got a text from an unknown number asking me to meet them in the dead of night for a sing off in a parking garage. This whole thing is shady as fuck."

"Mmm." Sebastian pulled his knee up onto the chair with him. He wrapped his arms around it and settled his chin there. "You realize this whole thing is about you and Rachel?"

"Yes. Rach didn't give me the whole story, but apparently she dated their competition their first year," Hunter said. "She said they assumed he was spying and sabotaging them when things went sour before regionals."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, "Was he spying on them?"

"Rachel said no. He had a different reason, but it was too personal for her to disclose to them." He shrugged. "I changed the subject after that because she seemed upset about whatever it is."

He hummed softly. They sat in silence for a moment before Sebastian said, "If we're going to pull this off, I'm going to need to run down to Ethan's apartment and convince him to extend our curfew and you need to start texting the Warblers to let them know we're going out."

"Ethan is a total push over," Hunter said with a roll of his eyes. "I have no idea how he managed to convince the dean he was responsible enough to be in charge of a whole dorm."

Sebastian shrugged. "Are you really going to complain when it's working in our favor?"

"I'm just going to go to my side of the room and text Jeff."

"That's what I thought."

* * *

Hunter and Sebastian stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the parking garage.

Sebastian's arms were crossed over his chest and his face made every bit of disdain he felt towards the situation obvious. Hunter's hands had been shoved into the pockets of his pants and the corners of his mouth turned up in an arrogant tilt.

They made a much more intimating pair then Santana and Finn who stood in front of New Directions.

Or, most of them at least. Rachel, Kurt, Quinn, and Puck were absent from the group.

"Are we just going to stand here in the dark?" Sebastian asked. "Or are you going to explain why you called us out here?"

"We didn't call you out," Santana snapped. "We called Chip Skylark over there out."

Someone behind her someone with an Irish accent muttered, "I still don't know who that is."

"You've got your whole team," Hunter pointed out. "Why can't I have mine?"

Tension crackled between Santana and the two boys as they glared at each other.

"We want you to stay away from Rachel," Finn said, breaking the silence at last.

Hunter arced an eyebrow, "Now what reason would I have for staying away from _my_ girlfriend?"

Finn's jaw clenched. Hunter almost laughed at how easy it was to rile the boy up. He hissed out, "We aren't going to let you keep playing her. She deserves someone better."

Hunter took a step towards Finn as he sneered, "What? Like _you_?"

"Yes!" Finn answered. He took his own step towards Hunter. "I'm in love with her! I let her go once and that douchebag ruined her! I'm not going to let you do the same thing to her."

"The only one here that's going to hurt her is you," Hunter answered.

Sebastian piped in, "From what I understand, he's already hurt her. Multiple times."

"Butt out, buck tooth," Santana said.

"What is with you and our teeth?" Sebastian questioned. "Does no one in your club brush their teeth?"

Hunter's smile curled wickedly. Sebastian had given him such a nice opening right there. "Rachel does. I've tasted the mint on her mouth before."

"Don't fucking touch her, you bastard!" Finn screeched. Hunter reeled back quickly enough to avoid the other boy as he lunged at him.

Before Finn could make another move towards him, Santana cut in, "Cool your shit, Hudson! Manhands fucking hates violence."

"What the fuck did you just call Rachel?" Sebastian hissed.

He went to step towards her, only for Nick and Jeff to grab onto his arms.

"Seb, no," Nick murmured. "She's a girl."

"I don't give a flying fuck that she has a vagina!" Sebastian yelled. "I'm not going to let her get away with talking about Rachel like that."

"We won't," Hunter assured. He was struggling with the desire to slap the girl across the face himself. "We're going to humiliate them by demolishing them in this sing off."

It wouldn't temper his rage much, but dancing would give him an outlet and destroying them will be satisfying if nothing else.

There was another silent moment of glaring before music started to echo throughout the garage.

Hunter wondered absently how that was happening, but didn't miss a beat as the Warblers started singing.

" _Ba ba ba ba…"_

* * *

The last note of Bad had just faded away when the sirens flared around them and the red and blue lights flooded the garage.

Hunter saw Santana's eyes fly wide open. All of their heads whipped towards the two police cars careening into the garage.

* * *

 **E/n:** lol so they don't have the whole Michael Jackson thing going on as they do in the show, but they do at least do their bad show down minus the slushie.

This chapter is a little shorter then usual and there's no Rachel. Apologies for that. I promise she'll be back next chapter!

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	15. Chapter 15: Parking Lot Smack Down

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **15:** Parking Garage Smack Down

* * *

After taking their statements about what was going – and that had that been a complicated affair because Sebastian and Santana had both been sniping insults at each other and every Warbler had raised their voice whenever they said that the reason for them being there was that New Directions were butting into Hunter's relationship with his girlfriend – the cops had explained to them that they weren't in too much trouble.

The owner of one of the stores around the garage had seen them coming and thought it was some kind of gang activity. Another had filed a noise complaint. They were willing to let it slide once they knew it hadn't been anything nefarious.

They had, however, demanded that neither set of teens leave without an adult.

Thirty minutes after New Directions called their coach, a new garage entered the garage.

The Warblers, who were still arguing over which one of the senior dorm advisers were both eighteen and least likely to kill them for this whole thing, all looked up as he pulled in.

All four doors of the car opened.

"Oh no," Hunter groaned when he saw Kurt and Rachel exiting the backseats.

"She looks pissed," Sebastian remarked. The two of them were sitting next to one of the large columns in the middle of the parking lot. Sebastian had his head leaning against it while his legs stretched out in front of him. Hunter sat with his legs crossed under him. "Like hells fury unleashed pissed."

Hunter took in Rachel's appearance as she stalked across the lot. Her hair was immaculate, but she was wearing a pair of fuzzy lime green pajama shorts along with Hunter's lacrosse sweatshirt. It was clear she'd been in bed when she'd found out what was going on. Her eyes were dark with rage and her lips were pressed into a thin line. Her hands were clenched at her side.

He cringed. Sebastian was right. Rachel was absolutely livid.

As she approached them, Hunter licked his lips. He called out, "Rach, I-"

She didn't slow her stride, just pointing a finger at him and growling, "Wait."

"This is gonna be so good," Kurt murmured.

Hunter glanced over to see that Kurt had come to a stop next to Sebastian. His hair was sticking up at all angles, making it clear he hadn't had as much notice as Rachel before getting out of bed, and he was dressed in a pair of pajama pants. He had a large McKinley High sweatshirt on that Hunter guessed belonged to his step brother.

Sebastian reached out, snagging Kurt by the leg. He gave a sharp tug and Kurt let himself be pulled down so he was situated between Sebastian's legs with the boy's arms wrapped around him.

"You're freezing," Kurt groaned when Sebastian pressed his cheek against his.

"It's January and I've been sitting in a parking garage for an hour and a half," Sebastian said. "You are so warm."

"I was in my nice soft bed and then a nice heated car," Kurt answered. He reached a hand behind him, tangling his fingers in Sebastian's hair without turning to look at him. "As opposed to being out in a parking garage getting arrested."

Sebastian snorted. "No one is getting arr-"

He was cut off by a loud slap echoing through the room.

Hunter's neck cracked as he whipped towards the sound.

Rachel was standing in front of New Directions with her hand still in the air. Santana's face was turned to the side, her eyes wide.

"You horrid, vapid bitch," Rachel hissed out. Her voice was filled with contained anger. It sent a shiver down Hunter's spine. "I know putting me down and winning are the only things that seem to make you feel good, but this is taking it too far. Did you even stop to think about what would happen if you got caught? Michael's father has only just accepted his dream to dance! If he got arrested for doing it in a parking garage all that work he did would have gone out the window! If Samuel got arrested there is no doubt in my mind that his parents would demand he go back to Kentucky! Rory's parents would likely pull him from his exchange program! And what if Noah had been here? He's eighteen, Santana! They aren't sending him back to Juvie if he violates his parole!"

"Rachel," Finn spoke from next to Santana. His voice was soft and cautious like he thought he was speaking to a spooked animal. "They aren't charging us with any-"

He was cut off by Rachel's palm slamming against his cheek this time. Hunter didn't know how hard she was slapping, but it was enough for Finn's head to whip to the side as well.

"Not getting charged doesn't change what happened!" Rachel screeched. Finn's mouth floundered like he was searching for the words, but Rachel quickly continued, "You do not get to talk now! For once, you are going to actually _listen_ to me when I'm speaking! I've allowed you to make numerous disparaging remarks about Hunter and his motivations for dating me because they were harmless. Maybe they upset me a bit, but I knew they weren't true. But this? This is taking it too far! This is you physically endangering people I care about just because you're jealous!"

"No one got hurt, Rach," Finn insisted.

"I'm not stupid, Finn. I know you and Hunter and Sebastian and Santana! No one may have gotten hit, but I'm sure Hunter and Sebastian goaded you into at least taking a swing." The look of guilt that crossed his face was enough. "That's what I thought. Not to mention, this isn't exactly a nice part of town. Just because you didn't hit anyone doesn't mean something wouldn't have happened to them when they were leaving."

Hunter heard someone near him, probably Nick or Jeff, whisper, "Hunter's girlfriend is amazing."

"This is the end," Rachel said, her gaze shifting to each of the members of New Directions. "This is the end of you treating the Warblers as if they're Vocal Adrenaline. This is the end of you treating Hunter as if he's Jesse St. James. This is the end of you acting as though my love life as any effect on this team. Do you understand me?" A moment passed. Rachel repeated, "Do you understand!"

This time the statement was meant with a round of nods and soft yes's.

"Good. I'm sure Mr. Schue will be over here to talk to you as well once he finishes speaking to the police."

A glance revealed that it might be a while before he was finished, seeing as the two cops that had stayed behind with them as well as Mr. Schue and the man he brought with him were staring at Rachel with open mouths.

She turned on her heel now and started back towards Hunter.

He climbed to his feet nervously.

Rachel stopped in front of him. He clenched his jaw, preparing to be smacked the same way Santana and Finn had been.

"I'm not going to hit you," she said.

"You aren't?" Hunter questioned. "I'm just as responsible for all this."

"That's not true at all," Rachel answered. "You didn't start this fight, you just responded to it when someone started interfering with our relationship. I'm not going to hit you for that."

She stepped closer to him, reaching out for both of his hands.

A small smile came over his face as she laced their fingers together.

"Let's sit down?" she suggested. "It might be a while before Mr. Schue and Burt finish speaking to the police."

"Alright."

He settled back down in his spot next to Sebastian. He crossed his legs under him again. Rachel settled herself in the space and hooked her legs over his knee so her feet rested on Sebastian's thigh.

The four of them whispered quietly for a while.

It wasn't until he heard a small sound from New Directions that Hunter looked away from his girlfriend.

A quick glance found that the black and Asian girls in New Directions were standing next to Blaine. All three of them were staring at Kurt and Sebastian.

Apparently they'd gotten over their shock at Rachel's outburst and focused on the other things happening around them.

Hunter reached out and tapped Sebastian's thigh. "You two let the cat out of the bag."

"It hardly matters," Kurt said. He didn't look at New Directions, focused on drawing song lyrics against Rachel's shin. She would try to guess them. They'd been playing this game for a few minutes. "They won't say anything to me after Rachel laid that smack down on them."

"I don't feel bad about it," Rachel said. "They took things too far."

"No one is arguing that," Hunter said. He pressed a kiss to the spot behind her ear. "You didn't do anything wrong."

* * *

 **E/n:** Alternative title for this chapter: Rachel Berry puts Santana Lopez and Finn Hudson in their places.

I'm debating what to do for the next few chapters. I'm thinking I want to do a little bonding between Puck and Quinn and Rachel with her new relationship, now that it's out in the open and everything, and then maybe a few chapters of mostly mindless fluff before moving on to NYADA auditions?

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	16. Chapter 16: Future Panic

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **1** **6:** Future Panic

* * *

It had become a sort of tradition for Hunter to pick Rachel up on Monday afternoons.

It was the one day during the school week that he didn't have Lacrosse or Warbler practice and could make it to Lima before her glee practice ended.

He liked it. It was rather mundane, but there was something nice about starting his week by going out with his girlfriend.

As he was waiting for her, Hunter focused on his phone.

He had his lip caught between his teeth as he tapped at the screen. The perfectionist in him wouldn't let him move on to a new level in Tetris Galaxy until he had three stars on his current on.

He had just restarted his level when someone let out a low whistle. "This car is even more beautiful up close."

Hunter glanced up to find Puck strolling towards him.

"It was a birthday present," Hunter said as he returned his phone to the home screen and slipped it into his pocket.

Puck gave a small hum. He stopped a few steps from the car, leaning in as his eyes sweeping over it. "You're younger than us then?"

"I'm a junior, yeah."

"What are you planning on doing 'bout that?" Puck asked. "Seeing as Rachel is gonna be in New York in a few months while you're here finishing school."

"We haven't really talked about it yet," Hunter answered. He wondered what the point of the sudden inquisition was. "I'm hoping to still be with her when her graduation comes around, but the relationships a bit too new to be making any solid plans."

"Mmm..." Puck straightened back up. His eyes flitted away from the car and focused on Hunter. "Well, whatever ends up happening make sure you don't hurt Berry. I'd hate to have to hurt a car this beautiful."

Hunter's eyebrows rose. "You're gonna go after my car, not my face?"

A smile quirked at the corners of Puck's lips. "Rachel doesn't like violence. I slashed St. James' tires, but that was because there was a whole group of people involved in that. I'm pretty sure I could key a nice, personal message into the side of this car."

"Noted."

Puck gave him a small, satisfied nod. "B's gonna be another minute. There's this whole like...battle of the Spanish teachers thing going on so she's talking to Schuester about a Shakira number."

Interested, Hunter asked, "Which song?"

"Not Hips Don't Lie. So don't get your hopes up."

"I was actually thinking more along the lines of Whenever, Wherever."

* * *

Hunter leaned against one palm, watching Rachel as she spoke about her latest glee assignment.

They were seated at their usual table in the Lima Bean. The large store front window was on Hunter's right while the clientele bustled around on his left.

"Hunter, what's going on with you?"

He let out a soft hum, "What do you mean?"

"You've been acting odd ever since I got out of glee," Rachel said. "Did Noah say something weird to you?"

"Not at all." Hunter reached for his latte and took a quick drink. "Just your standard shovel talk. Hurt my friend and I key your car."

"I'm not sure why he always seems to go for the car," Rachel mused. "He sliced the tires of every Vocal Adrenaline members range rover."

Hunter latched on to that statement, "Every member of Vocal Adrenaline has a range rover?"

"They have a very active boosters club."

"I go to Dalton and no one is buying the Warbler range rovers."

"Most students at Dalton are driving cars much more expensive then a rover," Rachel pointed out. "The model of jaguar you drive cost over a hundred grand."

"I suppose you have a point. Rovers are so bulky anyway."

"Uh huh." She lifted her coffee cup to his lips, fixing him with a look over the top of the lid. "Are you done trying to change the subject now?"

Hunter gave a soft sigh. He pushed a hand through his hair. "It's stupid. He just brought up the fact that you're going to be in New York next year while I'm here finishing school. I know its a ways away still, but I can't help thinking about it now that it's on my brain."

She gave a small hum. "A long distance relationship certainly takes more work to maintain, but I think we'll manage. Neither of us are the type to give up just because things get rough."

"No we aren't," he agreed.

"And as close as I feel New York is, it's also still a long ways away," she said. "We have the rest of the school year and the summer until we have to worry about it. We should enjoy the time we have now."

"Yeah," he murmured. "Yeah. Sorry for getting caught up in this."

She was quiet for a minute before speaking again, "So, did you hear anything I told you before now or should I repeat it?"

"Repeat it," Hunter admitted. "I was a bit too caught up in my own head before."

* * *

The dorm room was dark when Hunter called out, "Bas, are you awake?"

"No," Sebastian groaned. His tone was equal parts sleepy and annoyed.

Hunter was quiet for a minute before saying, "Are you worried about Kurt moving to New York next year?"

Sebastian groaned again. Hunter turned his head towards him, watching as Sebastian shifted in his bed and pressed pillow tightly around his ears. His words were muffled when he answered, "That's six months away, Hunter."

"Yeah but-"

"But nothing," Sebastian growled. Hunter let his mouth snap shut. "I have a test in Chinese tomorrow. You know how bad I am at Chinese. It's so much rougher than European languages."

"Yeah ok. Sorry for bothering you."

They fell quiet. Hunter stared up at inky blank of the ceiling above him.

After a moment, Sebastian spoke again, "Look, Hunt, it's going to be fine. We'll make it through the next six months without fucking our relationships going all to hell and than it'll only be a year before we're back with them."

"Before you're back with them," Hunter corrected. "The Naval Academy is in Annapolis."

"Annapolis is only a three and a half hour drive from New York City. You can drive up on a Saturday morning, crash in my dorm, and drive back Sunday night. It'll be fine." When Hunter didn't say anything else, Sebastian added, "We have to make it there first though. If I flunk my test because you kept me up until two in the morning, I will strangle you."

"Sorry, sorry."

They went quiet again.

Hunter listened as Sebastian moved around on his bed. Minutes later, he heard his friend's breathing even out.

He thought about what Sebastian had said.

He had six months with Rachel before they would separate. It seemed silly to waste the time he had with her by worrying about New York.

Something in his chest loosened.

All of a sudden, he found it much easier to close his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep.

* * *

 **E/n** : mostly a filler chapter. Next is Valentines!

This chapter was really rough for me which is why it didn't come out sooner.

Hopefully it's enjoyable?

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	17. Chapter 17: Valentines Day

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **1** **7:** Valentines Day

* * *

"I need you to promise me you won't go overboard on Valentines day," Rachel said.

The couple were in the music store. Rachel was certain Mr. Schue would assign love songs once Monday rolled around and had decided to get ahead of the game.

She was peering down at a book of Taylor Swift songs that she'd pulled from the shelf while Hunter stood next to her with his arm around her shoulders and a latte in is free hand.

Hunter gave a small hum. "Define overboard."

"Hanukkah. It was lovely and I appreciate it, but it was definitely too much."

"Alright, no expensive presents."

"Well, maybe one expensive present," Rachel corrected, glancing sideways at him.

Hunter let out a small laugh. He gave a nod. "One expensive present. What would you then?"

"Are you asking me to choose my own Valentines present?"

"I'm asking for your opinion on the matter without making any promises." He brushed his fingertips lightly along her collarbone. "Do you want a necklace?"

"No necklaces," Rachel murmured. She shivered under his feather light touch. "Finn gave me one with his name on it last year. It felt like a collar somedays."

"I'd like to think I have a bit more taste than that." He let the arm around her shoulders drop, running his fingers down her arm now. "An armlet maybe? It'd be unique."

"Impractical," she answered. "I'd have no place to wear it."

"Fair enough." He circled his fingers around her wrist. He lifted it to his mouth, speaking against her pulse. "A bracelet?"

"You already gave me a charm bracelet." Her voice wavered as she spoke.

"Which you never wear."

"That bracelet is worth several hundred dollars. I refuse to wear it to school and have it ruined or stolen."

Hunter pressed a kiss to her palm. Then he pressed his lips gently to each of her fingers, "What about a ring then? Small, unassuming. You could wear it without anyone noticing."

"Most people would notice if my finger suddenly started glinting in the sunlight."

"Maybe." He laced their fingers together, using the hold to tug her forward. Her free hand came to rest on his shoulder and his dropped around her waist. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the juncture just under her ear. "Another pair of earrings, maybe? Or a cuff?"

He nipped at her earlobe, grinning wider at the low moan that fell from her lips. Her fingers curled in his jacket. Her voice was breathy as she said, "Hunter….it's too much for a public place."

"Mm." He pressed another kiss under her ear before pulling away. He loosened his grip around her waist, keeping her close but allowing her space to move away if she wanted. "I'm sorry. I got carried away."

Pink dusted her cheeks as Rachel said, "It's the location, not the situation."

His lips found her forehead this time, pressing a kiss there. "I know."

They were quiet for a minute before Rachel murmured, "We could go back to my place and make out for a little while before my dads get home."

* * *

"Do you have any idea who the secret admirer might be?" Rachel questioned as she walked to class with Kurt.

Kurt hummed in though. He twirled the first card between his fingertips. "It's certainly not Sebastian."

"Why not? You two are dating."

"He doesn't have a way to be placing cards around the school," Kurt pointed out. "He's not skipping class because I got a snapchat from him three minutes ago and he was complaining about advanced trig. You're the only one in this school who would help him with this and you're just as clueless as me."

"I see your point... Any other guesses?"

"Could be Blaine," Kurt said. "We haven't really spoken since the break-up so maybe this is some attempt to win me back?"

Rachel was quiet for a minute before asking, "What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing." Kurt tapped the card against his binder as he spoke, "There's nothing to do about a bunch of cards."

"What if they ask you to meet them?"

"Then I'll ask the gorilla delivering the notes to kindly tell their employer no thanks." He gave a shrug. "Normally I would go just to figure out who it was, but I don't have time to indulge today. Sebastian is picking me up after lacrosse practice. He won't tell me where we're going, only that we'll be gone late and he's already talked to my father about extending my curfew."

"Mysterious," Rachel commented.

"Exciting," Kurt answered with a small grin. "I'm sure whatever he has planned is going to be fantastic."

"Given all that stuff going on last Valentines, you deserve it."

"I most certainly do," Kurt agreed. "You do as well, you know? Finn made you feel horrible with the whole Quinn situation. You deserve a good Valentines with Hunter."

"I'm certainly hoping it will be."

* * *

"I just don't understand why I have to come with you," Rachel declared as Quinn led her out into the courtyard. The blonde had her arm looped through Rachel's, refusing to let her go. "You are perfectly capable of making copies of your sheet music without me."

"I don't understand why you're putting up such a fight," Quinn said with a roll of her eyes. "It's your free period. It's not as though I pulled you from class."

"Yes but-"

"Rachel, shut up and look up the steps."

Confused, Rachel turned and looked at the top of the courtyard's staircase.

Hunter stood there with Puck. Her friend had his guitar slung over his shoulder. He started strumming when he caught her eye, a wide grin on his face.

"Oh," she murmured. "That's why you dragged me out here."

As her mouth shut, Hunter began to sing, " _Baby, why you wanna cry? You really oughta know that I just have to walk away sometimes. We're gonna do what lovers do. We're gonna have a fight or two. But I aint ever changin' my mind. Crazy girl, don't you know that I love you? And I wouldn't dream of going' nowhere. Silly woman, come here, let me hold you. Have I told you lately? I love you like crazy, girl."_

The courtyard was filled with other students on their free period, but they all seemed to fade away as Rachel watched Hunter stroll down the steps towards her.

" _Wouldn't last a single day, I'd probably just fade away. Without you, I'd lose my mind. Before you ever came along, I was livin' life all wrong. Smartest thing I ever did was make you all mine. Crazy girl, don't you know what I love you? And I wouldn't dream of goin' nowhere. Silly woman, come here, let me hold you. I have I told you lately? I love you like crazy, girl."_

As he reached her, he held a hand out for her.

She stepped forward without really thinking about it.

When her palm settled in his, he tugged her close to him. He swayed them side to side as he continued singing.

" _Crazy girl. Crazy girl, don't you know that I love you? And I wouldn't dream of goin' nowhere. Silly woman, come here, let me hold you. Have I told you lately? I love you like. Crazy girl,_ _don't you know that I love you? And I wouldn't dream of goin' nowhere. Silly woman, come here, let me hold you. Hav I told you lately? I love you like crazy, girl."_

As the final words of the song left his mouth and Puck strummed the last few cords, Rachel muttered, "That's not fair. You know how much I love when you sing to me."

"That's why it makes such a good present," Hunter answered. He pulled away from her grip to reach into his pocket. When he took his hand out, there was a small box in his hand. "And one expensive gift as we discussed."

"Of course."

She took the box from his palm. When she had it in her own, she popped the top open.

Nestled inside was an ear cuff. It had three interlocking silver chains with golden stars in different places on each chain.

"A shooting star," Hunter informed. "Since they're kinda your thing and all."

"It's beautiful," she murmured. She leaned over to press their lips together quickly. "Thank you."

"You are very welcome." He tipped their lips together a second time. "I have to get back to school before my six period. But I'll be back to take you out to dinner tonight."

"Alright. Happy Valentines, Hunter."

"Happy Valentines, Rach."

* * *

 **E/n:** I mentioned Kurt's secret admirer in this chapter just to clarify why David's suicide attempt won't be happening in this fic. Kurt never goes to Breadstixs to meet with him and therefore his confession is never witnessed and he never gets harassed by his current schoolmates. Cause and effect at work.

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	18. Chapter 18: Silence Pact

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **1** **8** **:** Silence Pact

* * *

"After today," Rachel declared as she approached the table with her coffee in her hands, "none of us are to contact each other until after our performances at regionals."

"You don't want me to talk to you at all until Thursday evening?" Hunter said.

She shook her had. "No. I don't want to risk any of us accidentally giving up vital information."

"Or, more importantly," Kurt cut in, "giving New Directions any reason to start a fight. Just once in my high school career, I'd like us to get through a competition without any drama threatening our win."

"They all know we're dating," Hunter pointed out. "If they were going to start another fight over it, wouldn't they have done it already?"

"It's a lot different with the competition is this close. We've been screwed over in every one of our competitions," Rachel said. "We all just want to make sure it doesn't happen this year."

"Every one?" Sebastian echoed, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Sectionals Sophomore year had baby dad drama and our set list being stolen," Kurt explained. "Regionals had Rachel's ex-boyfriend performing and our cheerleading coach sabotaging us from the judges table."

Rachel continued, "Last year half our club was refusing to talk to each other only moments before we went on stage for sectionals, during regionals our cheerleading coach started coaching our rivals and our group number got banned for copyright, and Finn kissed me on stage at Nationals and subsequently ruining any chance we had at winning."

Kurt added, "And Rachel got suspended before Sectionals this year."

There was a beat of silence before Sebastian said, the breathy quality in his voice portraying his amazement, "What's it like going to school inside a soap opera?"

"Not fun," Kurt and Rachel answered together.

"And now you see why we're enacting our communication ban," Kurt declared as he lifted his coffee to take a sip.

"Just because I understand doesn't mean I like it," Hunter said. He frowned in thought before saying, "I don't think I've gone a day without talking to Rachel in someway since we met."

Rachel took a moment to run the last few months through her head. Then she said, "I'm pretty sure your right. Even when you were away for Christmas, we spent most of the day texting."

Sebastian shook his head. "You guys are so sappy it makes me sick."

"As if your any better," Hunter argued. "You're always on your phone talking to Kurt in class."

" _I'm_ not the one acting like it's the end of the world that we aren't going to talk for a few days," Sebastian answered.

Kurt cut in swiftly, "I think it's ridiculous that you two are arguing with each other instead of speaking to Rachel and I when you won't have the chance to do so for nearly a week."

"We're practicing," Sebastian dismissed. As he spoke, he snaked a hand down to grab the bottom of Kurt's chair and pulled the boy closer to him. He slung an arm over his shoulder. "We'll have nothing but each others company soon seeing as you've cut us off."

Kurt snorted into his cup. He tapped the bottom edge of his coffee cup against the back of Sebastian's hand which now rested on Kurt's shoulder. "You have to be getting laid before you can get cut off, Bas."

* * *

On Wednesday Kurt entered the choir room, to find Rachel sitting on the piano bench.

"Do you know that saying, you don't know what you have until it's gone?" he asked. She lifted her gaze away from the paper in her hand. "I've picked my phone up ten times today to text Sebastian about something dumb someone did."

"I know what you mean," Rachel said with a sigh. "On Monday, I waited for five minutes before I remembered that Hunter wasn't picking me up after glee club."

"This sucks," Kurt murmured. He tossed his bag into the seat he wanted before making his way back to the piano. He settled his elbows on top of the piano, looking down at her. "I'm so glad it's almost Thursday."

"Now that's not something I hear every week." They both looked towards the doorway to find Mr. Schuester walking in. "Excited for Regionals?"

"Yes," Rachel said. "Though, that wasn't what we were talking about."

"We decided to cut off contact with our boyfriends until after the competition," Kurt informed.

Mr. Schue raised an eyebrow, "Why would you do that?"

"Somehow, this club always manages to stir something up right before we go on stage," Rachel said. "Kurt and I just didn't want to contribute to that this year."

He frowned at them. "Guys...You didn't have to do that."

"Finn and Santana almost got the whole club arrested over me dating Hunter."

"Let me correct myself then. You shouldn't _have_ to do that. I know our last couple of competitions haven't exactly been smooth sailing, but-"

Kurt interrupted, "Every competition, Mr. Schue. There's been drama _every_ competition."

"I'm sorry you felt like you had to take the initiative to prevent it," Mr. Schue continued. "I should have created an environment where that wasn't an issue. I'll talk to the others about it."

"Don't," Rachel rejected with a shake of her head. "It would just defeat the purpose of everything we've done. Then Kurt and I would be miserable for no reason."

He glanced between the two of them before saying, "Alright. I'll talk to them after Regionals then. But guys, I am going to talk to them. They can't keep making you feel like this just because you decided not to date inside the club."

"That would be preferable." Rachel tapped a few of the keys on piano before asking, "Since we're going to be focusing on nailing down the choreography for Fly/I Believe I Can Fly and What Doesn't Kill Me Makes me Stronger today, do you think you could listen to me run through Here's to Us before practice starts?"

"Sure, Rachel," Mr. Schue agreed. "Just let me grab a chair."

Their attention was so focused on what was happening in the room, that none of them noticed the boy listening to the conversation from outside the doorway.

With a frown on his face, he whipped his phone out and sent a text message to the group:

 _We need to talk after Kurt and Rachel leave._

* * *

When they heard the door shut behind Kurt and Rachel and their voices began drift down the hall, the rest of New Directions made their way back into the auditorium.

"Why'd we all get called here?" Santana questioned as she flopped into one of the seats. Brittany and Mercedes settled down on either side of her. "Did the two of them let something slip to their boy-toys?"

"No." They all looked up as Mike walked out onto the stage. "I asked you all to stay behind because we need to talk about the way we've been treating them."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Mercedes said. "We haven't done anything since Rachel went off on us in the parking garage."

"We may not have done anything to them," Mike agreed, "but we haven't exactly been acting the way we should be either." He swept his eyes along the group in front of him before asking, "Did any of you know the two of them haven't been talking to Hunter and Sebastian this week?"

There was a pause before Tina murmured, "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen Kurt on his phone nearly as often."

"Doesn't Hunter usually pick Rachel up on Mondays?" Sam asked. "Their cars are kind of hard to miss and I don't remember seeing either of them."

"They asked them not to talk to them until after Regionals, because they thought we would get in another fight like we did before Sectionals last year," Mike informed. He gave his words a minute to set in before saying, "Guys, this has to stop. Rachel and Kurt are our friends and we're making them feel like shit. We have to make it up to them somehow."

There was a brief silence before Rory questioned, "How are we supposed to do that?"

* * *

 **E/n** : So while Dave's suicide attempt never happened in this fic, I decided to keep New Directions set-list. I am changing the Warblers though.

I don't actually have much to say about this chapter...

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	19. Chapter 19: Regionals

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **1** **9** **:** Regionals

* * *

Hunter and Sebastian were lounged on the couch in their dressing room, playing games on their phone as they waited for the competition to start. They would be going first, but they weren't up for at least another half hour.

"Hunter, Sebastian." Sebastian gave an acknowledging hum at Jeff's call. "You've got visitors."

Hunter made a final move in his game before looking up.

Jeff was standing with the dressing room door wide open. New Directions was crowded together on the other side of the doorway with Mike standing in front of them.

"Could we talk to you guys out here?" Mike questioned.

Hunter glanced over at Sebastian. His eyes were raking over the other glee club. When they met Hunter's, he gave a barely perceivable nod.

"Alright," Hunter agreed as he pushed himself to his feet.

"If we're not back in ten minutes assume they murdered us," Sebastian commented as he followed.

"That would be tragic," Jeff said as the two of them approached the door. "Seeing as we'd lose our soloists."

"It'd be alright," Nick responded. He had slipped into Sebastian's seat as soon as the other stood up. "We could just take their solos."

Sebastian flipped his finger up and stuck his tongue out at him.

Nick threw his head back and laughed as Sebastian shut the door behind them.

There was a small silence in the hallway.

Sebastian leaned against the door, raising one leg to press his foot against it while settling his hands in his pockets. Hunter stood half a step in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest.

After a moment, Mike spoke up, "Rachel and Kurt are miserable."

Sebastian let out a harsh snort. "No? Really? Could it have anything to do with them being on a team full of people who constantly put them down and ridicule them?"

"You ridicule them," Mercedes said, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes narrowed. "We all heard you call them Barbara and Gay face in the parking lot."

"Barbara Streisand is Rachel's idol. A comparison is hardly an insult," he said with a roll of his eyes. "And I make fun of Kurt affectionately. He does the same right back."

"Sebastian has CW hair and horse teeth," Hunter piped in.

"If I made a derogatory remark towards them that they objected to, I dropped it." Sebastian's eyes narrowed in on Santana. "Unlike some members of your team."

"We didn't come here to fight," Mike cut in. "We want you to go talk to Rachel and Kurt. They've been miserable this whole week. They're our friends. We don't want them to feel that way because of something we did."

The two boys exchanged glances.

Then Hunter gave a small sigh. He let his arms drop, pushing his hand through his hair. "Look, we can't do that."

"Why not?" said the blonde girl standing next to Santana. Her head was tipped with confusion. "Don't you want to make Rach and Kurt happy?"

"The only thing Rachel and Kurt are going to be if we approach them now is angry," Sebastian said.

"Rachel won't like me bothering her before a performance," Hunter explained. "As people who have actually performed with her, you've got to know how she is. She likes to focus, get in her zone."

Sebastian nodded. "And Kurt's gonna be pissed I didn't listen to him."

"Maybe if you'd approached us before today we could have done something, but we can't now." Hunter gave a shrug. "And really, if you feel so bad just talk to them yourself. Apologize for being assholes and figure out what you have to do to make it better."

"On that note," Sebastian reached down and twisted the door knob behind him. He pushed the door open. "We've got a competition to prepare for."

* * *

Kurt and Rachel were standing side-by-side in front of the mirror in their dressing room when the rest of New Directions entered the room. Rachel was pushing her headband into her hair while Kurt was snapping his bow-tie under his chin.

"Oh good, you're back," Kurt said without turning around. His blue gaze was fixed on their reflection in the mirror. "We don't have much time until the opening and the Warblers. Blaine you're going to have to help the boys with their bow-ties while I work on the girls' hair."

"Can we talk to you two before that?" Mike requested.

The two exchanged a look that had several members of New Direction's cringing. It was clear they thought they were going to start an argument now.

Tina was the one who said, "We want to apologize."

"For what?" Rachel asked. She turned around to face them. She crossed her arms over her chest and her lips were pressed into a thin line.

"For the way we've been acting about Sebastian and Hunter," Artie spoke up.

Kurt and Rachel looked at each other for a minute before Kurt questioned, "Why are you apologizing now? Why not in the parking garage?"

"We were all kind of stunned after that whole thing," Mike said.

"There were two weeks between now and then," Rachel pointed out. "Why didn't you apologize at any point during that time?"

"You weren't sad before," Brittany said. "But you're sad now and none of us wanted to do that to you."

"Mike over heard you talking to Mr. Schue about not talking to them until Regionals," Sam explained. "We never wanted you to feel miserable."

There was a moment of silence before Kurt said, "Can we get to work now?"

"Kurt, Rachel-"

"We accept your apology," Rachel interrupted. "But that doesn't mean we forgive you. If you want that, you have to prove to us that you're okay with us dating them."

"Now come on," Kurt insisted. He crooked a finger towards Mercedes. "I'll do you first, than we can tag team the others so it doesn't take as long."

* * *

They sit together when they watch the Warblers.

Sebastian opened the performance with The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" and Kurt lifted two fingers, whistling loudly, when it ended.

When Hunter took the solo on their second and last song, "Young Forever" by the Ready Set, and Rachel's hands are stung red from clapping too hard when it ends.

* * *

The Warblers settle into their seats as New Direction prepared for their set.

Sebastian spent all of "Fly/I Believe I Can Fly" commenting on how good Kurt looked in a bow-tie and suspenders.

They whispered throughout "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger", debating whether the judges will prefer an all girl's number to their all boys numbers. It's not like they can help that they go to an all boys school, but everyone has preferences.

And when Rachel stepped out, singing "Here's to Us" on that stage without anyone else, Hunter was the first one on his feet, beaming with pride.

* * *

"I missed you this week," Hunter murmured. They stood on the stage, waiting for the awards to start. They hadn't been able to catch each other in the brief time period between it and New Direction's performance.

"I missed you too," Rachel answered. She reached out, intertwining their hands despite the fact that they were standing in the front of their clubs and the whole audience could see them.

"Come out with me after this?" he said. "We can celebrate. One of us is going to win after all."

"Mmm...Just the two of us?"

"Just the two of us," Hunter confirmed. He glanced over at her. The small smile on her lips warmed his chest. He gave her hand a light squeeze. "Sebastian and Kurt are great, but I think we can all agree that we want some time alone."

She gave a soft hum and nodded slightly. "I'll have to take some pictures with the trophy, but then we can go out."

He let out a huff of laughter. He fought the urge to lean over and kiss her. "We'll see."

* * *

 **E/n:** So I left New Direction's set-list the same because I'm honestly in love with every number from that performance. But I changed the Warblers since the suicide attempt didn't happen.

For anyone who doesn't know: the Jackson 5 performance mentioned here is actually a deleted scene from the episode "Michael." It's one of my favs and you should absolutely check it out!

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	20. Chapter 20: Confession

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **20** **:** Confessions

* * *

"Alright," Hunter declared as he joined Rachel at the table where she sat. He set her tea down in front of her before placing the treat he'd gotten her down with it. It was a small round shortcake with three chocolate dipped strawberries, two white chocolate with dark chocolate drizzled on them and one dark chocolate with white chocolate drizzled on it, settled on it. They had gone to the small vegan cafe near the music store, so he was sure she'd be able to eat it. "Your prize for winning."

"Thank you," Rachel said. She pulled the food towards her as she flashed him a smile. "It looks delicious."

"You're welcome." He settled into his own seat, crossing one leg over the other as he watched her. He'd opted for tea instead of coffee, he was willing to do a lot for Rachel but drinking a latte with soy milk or almond milk was not one of them, and the to-go cup was warm in his hands. "You deserve it. You're solo tonight was amazing."

"Yours was good as well."

"I did great," he agreed. "But you were breathtaking, Rachel. I may have been cocky during the awards ceremony, but even I knew we didn't stand a chance. We lost it the second you stepped onto that stage and started Here's to Us."

"That's not true," she argued. She cut her fork into the dessert. "Mercedes and Santana were very good during What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us Stronger and the whole group worked well throughout Fly/I Believe I Can Fly."

"I didn't say they didn't," Hunter answered. He took one hand from his tea, reaching across to settle his hand over the one she wasn't using to eat. "I just said you were the one who won the competition for them. I know you know how good you are, but I don't think you realize just how breathtaking you are when you're on a stage."

She gave a small hum. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, "You think I'm breathtaking on stage?"

"Absolutely." He squeezed her hand in his hand. "Don't get me wrong, I think you are beautiful anytime I see you. But, whenever I see you on a stage it's like falling in love with you all over again."

He saw her still, her fork half way to her mouth. The fingers of the hand he was holding curled.

He ran through his statement, trying to figure out what he'd said.

"Rach?" he murmured when he came back empty. "What'd I say?"

She set her fork back down on her plate.

She stared at him for a moment before asking, "You're in love with me?"

"Yes...?" Hunter answered. He pressed his lips together. His gaze dropped from hers, focusing instead on their intertwined hands. "Did you freeze up because you don't feel the same?"

"I do," Rachel said. "You just caught me off guard. I've never had a guy just slip it into conversation the first time."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to take it back and plan something for you?"

"Of course not," she said with a shake of her head. This time it was her to squeeze his hand. "I actually prefer it this way. It's easier to believe that you mean it."

Hunter couldn't help the way he frowned at the thought. He'd already known that Rachel's past relationships hadn't exactly been fantastic, but the idea of her not being able to tell if someone actually loved her was horrible.

"Rachel." He lifted his eyes back to hers. "I love you."

A smile lit up her face. "I love you too, Hunter."

* * *

"Do you ever just really, really hate someone who've never met?" Hunter mused as he walked into his dorm.

Sebastian was sitting on his bed with his knees raised up and a book settled on his thighs. He had already changed out of his uniform and into a pair of loose sweatpants. He looked up at Hunter's words. "Bad date?"

"Good date, bad memories," Hunter corrected. He glanced at Sebastian as he tugged at the loop on his tie. "How long have you been back?"

"Half an hour maybe?" Sebastian guessed. "Kurt and I just went out for ice cream. Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I was telling Rachel how amazing it is to watch her on stage and I told her that I love her," Hunter explained as he tossed his tie across the room. "She said that she liked that I'd just let it slip rather than making it a huge moment because it made it easier for her to tell that I meant it."

"I kinda wanna hit Finn Hudson right now."

"We can make a club."

There was silence for a while as Hunter stripped the rest of his uniform off.

He was crawling into his bed when Sebastian said, "You are though?"

"I am what?"

"In love with Rachel."

"Ah..." A smile spread over Hunter's lips. It was soft and genuine. "Rachel's amazing. She's beautiful and intelligent and driven. I don't think I ever stood a chance at not falling in love with her."

"Good. I'm happy for you."

Hunter hummed softly. He watched Sebastian as he leaned over to grab one of his pillows off the floor. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "I don't want you to get hurt, but I don't want her to get hurt either. Sometimes she's annoying as all hell, but I actually kinda like her."

"You are going to soft on me, Smythe." He launched the pillow he'd retrieved at Sebastian. It fell into Sebastian's lap. "Turn your lamp off. I'm ready to go to sleep."

"You're lucky I finished my chapter before you came in," Sebastian answered. He tossed the pillow back at Hunter, letting out a chuckle when it slammed into his face. He marked his page in his book before settling it on the nightstand and reaching for the lamp.

Their room had only been dark a few seconds when Sebastian murmured, "I think I might be falling in love with Kurt."

"I know," Hunter said. He shoved his pillow under his head with the others before settling down on top of them. "It's not exactly a bad thing."

* * *

 **E/n:** This is actually like the shortest chapter of this series? But it does meet my minimum word count(barely. I actually thought I was gonna have to post it shorter)!

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	21. Chapter 21: A Request is Made

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **21:** A Request is Made

* * *

"Hunter, phone!"

"Coming!" Hunter shouted as he fastened a towel around his waist. He scrubbed at his hair with another towel as he made his way through the locker room.

When he got to their lockers, he found Sebastian buttoning up his pants with one hand while holding Hunter's phone out for him with the other. As Hunter approached him, Sebastian said, "It's-"

"Rachel, I know. She's probably calling to tell me she's getting out of glee late," Hunter interrupted. He reached out and snagged the phone from Sebastian's hands. He didn't look at the caller ID as he swiped to pick the call up. He shoved his phone between his shoulder and ear before reaching to pull his locker open. "Hey, baby."

"You called me a lot of things when you were younger, but I've got to say that's a first."

Hunter froze at the voice coming through his phone.

He could hear Sebastian roaring with laughter behind him.

"Mom!" Hunter exclaimed. "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else!"

"I certainly hope so," his mother answered, her voice light with amusement. "Your Rachel, I hope?"

"Yes," he agreed. "I pick her up from her glee practices on Mondays. I thought she might have been calling to tell me she would be running late."

"I see." His mother gave a soft hum before inquiring, "So Rachel is the reason you haven't come to visit me since Christmas break?"

A frown settled on Hunter's lips as he thought about it. He groaned and dragged a hand down his face when he'd run through the months. "I am so sorry, Mom. It wasn't _just_ Rachel, I swear. The Warblers were practicing for regionals and lacrosse season just started. I mean, we had practice games before but now it's for the championship. I just got caught up in everything."

"I'm glad you aren't coming to see me every weekend like you were when you first transferred," she said. "But I would like to see at least one of my boys. With your father in DC and your brothers in Annapolis, I don't see it being any of them."

"I know, I know. I really didn't mean to leave you alone for so long." He dropped the towel around his waist as he stepped into a pair of neon orange briefs. "I'll come up this weekend, I promise."

"You don't have any plans already?"

"No."

"Does Rachel?"

"Not that I know of...?" Hunter answered, eyebrows knitting together. Nonetheless, he turned his head to look at Sebastian, "You guys don't have plans with Rach right?"

Sebastian shook his head, gasping for breath through his laughter. "N-Not that Kurt's told me about."

"Not that I know of," Hunter repeated to his mother. "Why?"

"Because I'd like to meet her of course."

"You live in Columbus, Mom," Hunter pointed out. "By the time I drive to pick Rachel up from Lima and turn back around and go to Columbus, it'd be a four hour drive instead of thirty minutes. We won't be able to stay for more than an hour or two."

"So bring her up on Friday once you're both out of school and spend the weekend here."

He hesitated before saying, "I'll ask her, but I'm not sure her dads will agree to her spending a whole weekend at our house."

"Dads?"

"Gay."

"Ahh..." His mother let out. Then she said, "Well, if they have any problems give them my phone number and I'll talk to them myself."

He gave a soft sigh before nodding to himself. "Alright. I'll let you know. Is that all you wanted to talk about, mom? Because I just got out of lacrosse practice and I need to get dressed."

"That's it, yes. I love you and I'll see you this weekend."

"Love you too. See you this weekend." As he clicked off the call, Hunter sent a glare at Sebastian over his shoulder. The other boy had finally calmed his laughter down. "Why didn't you warn me, asshole?"

"I tried telling you it was your mom! You didn't give me the chance to finish!"

* * *

Hunter fidgeted nervously as he stood in the doorway to the Berry's kitchen.

Hiram was sitting down at the table, his glasses discarded onto the tabletop as he spoke into Hunter's phone, while Leroy was leaned against the kitchen counter behind him.

Rachel was standing at the table across from Hiram with her hands braced against the top as she leaned across it, waiting for an answer.

Hunter wished she was by his side instead, but he didn't dare walk any further into the room.

Logically he knew Hiram and Leroy didn't have a problem with him, he'd spent a fair amount of time in their house and they seemed to like him at least a little bit, but there was something terrifying about asking them for permission for their daughter to spend the weekend at his home.

"Thank you very much, Naomi. That makes our decision a lot easier," Hiram said, clearly wrapping up his conversation. There was a moment as he listened to Hunter's mother on the other end of the line. "Yes." Another beat. "You too."

As soon as her father set Hunter's phone on the table, call disconnected, Rachel asked, "So? Can I go?"

Hunter watched as the two men exchanged looks before Hiram gave a small nod. "You can go."

Rachel let out an excited noise, reaching across the table to pull her father into a hug.

He wrapped one arm around her, patting her on the back with an amused look on his face.

"We have a few requests though," Leroy declared.

"Of course!" Rachel agreed.

"If you and Hunter go out alone we want you to tell us," Hiram said as he released Rachel. He patted her on the cheek before she could pull away completely. "You're not quite independent yet and I'd like to know where you are."

"Of course, daddy," Rachel said with a nod.

"And secondly, I want you to promise me you'll stay in whatever room Naomi puts you in. No crawling into Hunter's bed in the middle of the night."

Hunter felt his face heat bright red. His voice louder than he meant for it to be as he interjected, "Mr. Berry, Rachel and I aren't-"

"We're aware that the two of you aren't sexually active yet," Leroy said. Hunter felt his face burning even hotter. "But we're also aware a large part of that is because the moment hasn't been right for the two of you. You live in a dorm and one of us is always here and awake when you visit on the weekends. I feel safe in assuming your home is large enough for you and our daughter to find a room your mother wouldn't be able to hear you from. I just want a promise that you won't give into the temptation a large, isolated house would avoid you."

Hunter swallowed thickly at his words, wondering where his idea had come from.

Had Rachel told her dads the only reason they weren't having sex was because they didn't have any place to have sex?

He definitely wasn't opposed to the idea, but Hunter had thought Rachel wasn't ready for that.

"I promise I'll stay in whatever room Mrs. Clarington gives me," Rachel promised, breaking Hunter out of his thoughts.

"That's all we ask." Hiram smiled at her before standing up, "Now come on, why don't we start dinner? Hunter can eat with us before heading back to Dalton."

* * *

 **En:** Poor Hunter is having a bad day in this chapter. First he gets accosted by a phone call from his mother, than he gets the shit scared out of him by the Berry's (though thats at least 100% in his own head).

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	22. Chapter 22: Two Trains of Thought

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **22:** Two Trains of Thought Converging in a Misunderstanding

* * *

Rachel took a small breath before calling out, "Sam, can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Uh..." She watched as the blonde boy glanced around the choir room as though looking for an escape. She didn't really blame him for his hesitance. The two of them hadn't spoken much. "I'm supposed to be catching a ride home with Finn."

"I'll be quick," Rachel assured. "And if Finn leaves without you, I can take you home myself."

Sam shoved his hands into his pockets, casting a glance towards the door. After another moment he gave a small nod. "Alright, I guess. What's up?"

Rachel chewed on her lip for a moment before saying, "I know we don't know each other very well, but I was hoping for your advice on something."

"You couldn't ask anyone else?"

"Well, I was originally going to ask Noah, but then I remembered that the only girl he introduced to his mother was the one he got pregnant."

Sam arched an eyebrow, "You want to talk me about introducing a girl to my mother?"

"More about your feelings about it." Rachel corrected, a little unsure of it herself. "Hunter is going to see his mother this weekend and she asked him to bring me along so we could meet. We spoke to my fathers about it and they agreed it was fine...But Hunter's been acting strange since then and I think it may be related to our visit. I know your relationship with her is a sore topic due to how it ended, but I was wondering how you felt the first time Quinn met your mother."

"Oh..." He reached a hand up, scratching at the back of his neck in thought. He hummed softly before saying, "I was a little nervous, but that was it. It was a different situation though."

"How so?"

"Well, I didn't really plan on introducing Quinn to my mom. She just happened to get home from work early while Quinn was there. It wasn't really a big deal or anything."

"I see..." Rachel drew out. She chewed on her bottom lip, her thoughts wandering.

"Rachel?" His lips were turned in a small frown. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She dropped her gaze from his, reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ears. "I suppose, I shouldn't have expected your feelings on the matter to be the same. After all, Quinn is exactly what any mother would want for their son. Beautiful, quiet, popular-"

"Hey," Sam interrupted. Rachel's eyes lifted back up to see him again. "I can tell where you were going with that and I am hundred percent positive that's not that's not whats going on. There's nothing for him to be embarrassed about. You're just as beautiful as she is. And your ambitious and intelligent and kind. "

"You are very kind, Sam." Rachel forced a smile onto her face. "I certainly hope your assessment of the situation is right."

* * *

On Thursday night, Hunter stared down at his backpack in thought.

He would be leaving to pick Rachel up as soon as class ended. He didn't need to take much to his house with him, so he'd opted to just add the few things he was taking to his bag. So far that included his extra phone charger, his laptop, a book Sebastian had recommended, and the few hygiene products that he did he didn't have at the house.

There was only one thing he hadn't packed yet.

That was mostly because he hadn't decided if it was going to be necessary.

He was leaning towards not packing it when he heard Sebastian let out a huff on the other side of the room.

"Okay, so I was just going to wait until you were ready to talk about it," Sebastian declared. Hunter looked over his shoulder at him to find Sebastian sitting cross-legged on his bed with his phone in his hand. "But Nick dragged Jeff off to do his Stats homework which means I don't have anyone to play in Trivia Crack right now. So lets just get whatever it is out there."

"There's nothing to get out there," Hunter argued.

Sebastian gave him a look full of exasperation. "You've been staring at your backpack for thirty minutes."

Hunter watched him for a moment. After a moment, he murmured, "I'm trying to decide if I need to pack condoms."

"You've spent thirty minutes thinking about this?"

"I've been thinking about it since Monday night actually."

"Hunter it's not that hard a decision," Sebastian answered. When Hunter responded with a non-committing hum, he gave a sigh. "Look, have you and Rachel talked about sex?"

"We haven't talked about having it, no. But I know she tells her dad pretty much everything and they kinda implied on Monday night that Rachel had told them we weren't because there wasn't ever an opportunity."

"And they're still letting her go with you this weekend?"

"They made her promise to stay in her room, but that doesn't necessarily mean nothing's going to happen."

Sebastian gave a soft hum. "Do you want to have sex with Rachel?"

"Yeah, but..." Hunter hesitated before explaining, "Look, I'm a virgin because I've gone to all boys schools my whole life. I never had the opportunity. Rachel's a virgin because it means something to her. If she's ready, I'm willing to bet she's got this whole plan in her head as to how it's going to go down. I don't want to ruin that for her by rushing her through it."

"So don't rush her," Sebastian said with a shrug. "Take the condoms because you'll need them if something does happen, but wait for her to bring it up with you."

Hunter made a thoughtful sound before nodding. He reached over, pulling his nightstand open and taking the box of condoms he'd bought from it. As he was tossing them into one of his pockets in his bag, he asked, "Hey, have you and Kurt...?"

"We've messed around, but we haven't gone all the way." Hunter tossed a look over his shoulder and Sebastian gave a one shoulder shrug. "It's different. Kurt's a virgin, I'm not. I wouldn't say he has a problem with it, but he's weary about it for sure. Plus, I think he worries sometimes that he's some kind of conquest for me. I don't want to sleep with him without him knowing how different he is from everyone else I've slept with."

Hunter zipped the other pockets of his bag closed as he agreed, "Sounds reasonable."

* * *

 **E/n:** okay im actually on my way out the door so i dont have time to write a large note here, but I'm sorry this wasn't out yesterday! Originally this included Hunter and Rachel leaving for their trip, but I decided to push that off another chapter and do this instead. Hopefully everyone enjoys?

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	23. Chapter 23: The Introduction

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **2** **3** **:** The Introduction

* * *

Hunter tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. Every few seconds, he could glance at Rachel.

She hadn't said much since he'd picked her up. They'd greeted each other and exchanged a few notes about their days, but then she'd fell silent. Even letting her pick the radio station hadn't drew her out of her silence.

She just sat with her knees drawn up on the seat with her, her shoes discarded on the floor, and her arms hooked around them.

He chewed on the corner of his mouth, wondering whether he should bring it up.

"Are you worried she won't like me?"

Her words startled him out of his thoughts.

Startled, he only let out, "What?"

"You've been nervous about taking me to meet your mother," Rachel said. She had the corner of her bottom lip clasped between her teeth and the hold warped her words a bit. "Is it because you think she won't like me?"

"I'm not nervous about taking you to meet my mother," Hunter answered. "And I have no doubt that she's going to like you. Regardless of what she asked, I wouldn't make you spend a whole weekend with her if I thought wouldn't like you."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her shifting her body towards him. "Then why have you been so weird since Monday night?"

His mouth dropped open in a soft O.

He felt a surge of guilt rush through his chest.

"I was nervous," he admitted, "but not about you meeting my mother."

"What about?"

He hesitated for a moment. True to Sebastian's advice he hadn't planned on bringing it up to her, just waiting to see if something happened, but he didn't want her to feel like there was something wrong with her.

"Your dad mentioned us having sex when we were there Monday," Hunter said. "And I got nervous about it. I couldn't figure out whether it was just them being worried or if you had talked to them about it."

"Oh..."

He waited for a moment before taking one hand off the wheel and setting it on her knee. "We aren't going to do anything you aren't ready for Rachel. I just wasn't sure where we stood on the issue."

"I know." She stretched her fingers so they brushed lightly against his. "I know."

"Okay." He waited another moment before withdrawing his hand. He gestured towards the stereo before setting it back on the wheel. "Now that that's sorted out, do you wanna put in a CD? We can sing."

"Oh! Yes!" She dropped her knees from the seat, leaning forward to open the glovebox. "Is my copy of the Wicked soundtrack still in here?"

"Should be."

As he listened to her shuffle through the case, already singing _For Good_ under her breath, a smile spread over Hunter's face.

They'd had a bit of a rough start with the misunderstanding, but he had a feeling it was going to be a good weekend.

* * *

Hunter pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"It's smaller than I thought it would be," Rachel remarked as she followed him into the house.

"Four bedrooms, three baths," Hunter recited. He toed his shoes off, leaving them by the door, as he said, "There's enough room for the whole family when necessary, but my mom and I are the only ones who live here."

She hummed softly. "Can I ask why the two of you moved? You didn't give me the impression that your parents were in danger of separating when you left for Christmas, but they don't live together."

He waited until she'd slipped her flats off before catching her hand in his and leading her down the small hallway.

"My grandmother died in February of last year. My grandfather's not incapable of living by himself, but my mother didn't want him to be alone either. My dad couldn't leave the DC area, but she could. So the two of us moved out here."

As they emerged into the foyer, he saw her glancing around. It was painted a deep chocolate color. There was a set of swirling white stairs on either side of the entryway they'd come from. Matching white double doors were on both side walls. One set were thrown open, revealing a large living room, while the other set was shut.

The house was certainly smaller then expected from a family with the kind of money the Clarington's had, but it wasn't exactly small by itself.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Rachel said, squeezing his hand.

Hunter gave a small hum as he looked around, trying to ascertain whether his mother would be on the main level or upstairs somewhere. "You shouldn't be. My grandmother lived a long, happy, life. I don't think she had any regrets."

"That doesn't make it any easier."

"Of course not. I miss her, I always will. But it makes it easier to handle."

"Hunter?" somebody called from the upper level. He heard the clicking of heels against the wooden floor as they came closer. "Is that you?"

"Yes, mother!" he answered. "Where are you?"

"Upstairs! I'm coming down the hallway right now!"

As she spoke, she appeared at the top of the stairs.

Naomi had her hair, the same dark chocolate color as Hunter's, thrown into a bun that sat on the top of her head. She wore dark colored jeans with a ruffled cream colored tank top.

While her eyes were a soft blue color, rather then the pale green of Hunter's, it was clear who he got his looked from.

Her lips, painted a pale pink color, curved into a wide smile when her eyes locked on Rachel.

"Oh, you must be Rachel!"

"Yes, Ma'am," Rachel said. As his mother hurried down the staircase, she added, "Thank you for inviting me to spend the weekend in your home."

"Thank you for coming. I've wanted to meet you since December. Hunter wouldn't stop talking about you at Christmas." His mother was at the bottom of the stairs now. She strolled towards him, her grin widening, "Speaking of. It's absolutely lovely to see you again, my absent child."

"I already apologized for that," Hunter reminded.

He stepped into her embrace, wrapping his arms around her. The smell of her perfume, the same dior scent as she had been wearing since he was a child, brought a warmth and sense of home to his chest.

Dalton was fantastic, the school and people there had quickly become a second family to him, but nothing felt better than being back with his mother.

"I missed you mom," he muttered.

"I missed you too, sweet boy," she answered. She patted his back before pulling away. "I know the two of you are probably sick of being stuck in a car, but I was thinking the three of us we could go out for dinner so that we could talk and Rachel and I could get to know each other."

Hunter shrugged. "I'm fine with it as long as I'm not the one driving."

* * *

 **En:** I honestly have nothing to say about this chapter? Other than that I hope I described both the house and Hunter's mother in a way that was easy for you all to picture.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	24. Chapter 24: Start of a Beautiful Weekend

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **2** **4** **:** Start of a Beautiful Weekend

* * *

Hunter had his arm looped through his mother's as they walked towards the lot the car was in. Rachel walked a few steps ahead of them, giving her boyfriend the opportunity to speak somewhat privately with his mother.

They'd let a valet park the car, but insisted on picking it up themselves as the weather was finally beginning to warm up.

"She's beautiful," his mother said. Her voice was low enough that Rachel couldn't hear them. "I can see why she caught your attention."

"She is," Hunter agreed. His lips were set in a small smile as he watched Rachel. She had her gloved hands clasped behind her back, looking around them with a smile on her face as if she'd never seen downtown Columbus before. The streetlights put a shine on her hair. "She's so much more than that though."

His mother gave a soft hum. "I noticed. She seems quite lovely."

"She's amazing," Hunter corrected. His lips turned, his smile softening at the edges. He murmured, "I'm in love with her."

"I know." He looked over at his mother in surprise. She kept her gaze focused on Rachel, watching the girl in front of them as he had before. Her hand patted against the arm she held. "I am plenty familiar with how the men in this family look when they're in love. And honey, you wear it all over you."

"It's that obvious?"

"It's that obvious," his mother agreed. "It's not a bad thing though. It makes it very easy for me to tell that you're happy with her."

Hunter frowned a bit. His mother's words had sent his mind spiraling with the facts he knew about Rachel's relationships in the past.

He murmured, "Rachel's been in love with people who didn't make her happy. I don't want to be like them."

"You aren't," his mother declared. "I may not know her very well, but that girl looks just as happy as you do."

As Hunter was mulling over her words, Rachel spun around to face them. She asked, "Do you hear that?"

He tilted his head, listening. He guessed, "The music?"

She gave an eager nod. Despite the fact that they were in the middle of the street, she sung softly, " _So why don't you lay right here? Let me just ease your mind. I'm givin' you all my time._ "

Hunter's mother let go of his arm. She gave his back a firm pat, "Go."

He obeyed immediately. He stepped towards Rachel, holding a hand out for her as he joined his voice with hers, " _I'm gonna keep on, keep on loving you. Strong and slow, the way that you want me to."_

Rachel's grin widened as she settled her hand in his.

Hunter lifted them above her head and she spun under them as they sung the final line of the chorus together, " _Maybe my whole life through. I'm gonna keep on, keep on loving you."_

Standing behind them, watching as they threw their arms around each other and Rachel pressed her cheek to Hunter's chest, his mother smiled. She said to herself, "Yup, I don't think you have anything to worry about, Hunter."

* * *

"Hunter?"

"Mmmhm?" Having just been on the edge of sleep, Hunter pried his eyes open. When he spotted Rachel standing in his doorway in her pajamas, the light of the hallway flooding into his dark room, he asked, "Wass going on?"

Rachel bit on her lip, hesitating to answer.

Hunter took the opportunity to push himself into a sitting position. He scratched at the back of his hair as he yawned and reached over to pull the cord on his lamp.

Light exploded around his bed. He squeezed his eyes shut at the sudden brightness, before focusing back on his girlfriend. "Rachel, what's going on?"

Her voice was soft as she murmured, "I've never slept by myself in a house that wasn't my own."

He stared at her for a moment as he worked the words through his mind. He tilted his head as he dawned on him, "Are you asking me if you can sleep with me?"

"Yes," Rachel answered.

"I'm pretty sure your dad's one rule was that you not end up in my bed."

"Yes well, I would like to sleep at some point tonight and I really don't think that's going to happen if I sleep by myself."

He watched her for a moment before nodding. "Alright. I'll send my mom a text message and let her know why you're in here. Hopefully she won't mind."

Rachel let out a soft breath, her shoulders visibly relaxing. She shut the door behind her as she padded over to the bed with a soft, "Thank you."

Hunter hummed softly. He glanced around as she approached. "I usually sleep without a shirt, but do you want me to put one on?"

"I don't mind, but will your mother?"

"I don't think. She knows I sleep like this."

Rachel had reached the bed now. She paused at the edge before lifting herself onto it.

It took them a few moments, but once she was settled comfortably against the pillows he reached over and shut the lamp off.

"Night Rachel," he murmured as he collapsed back onto his pillows. Their shoulders and thighs pressed close to each other, but he made an effort not to touch her anymore than that. He didn't want to make her feel awkward.

Her voice was soft as she answered, "Goodnight Hunter."

* * *

Naomi crept into her son's room Saturday morning, careful not to make too much noise.

She trusted her son and believed the text message he'd sent her detailing why Rachel was in his bedroom, but she felt a duty to make sure that both teenagers still had clothes on.

When she spotted them on the bed, she had to push down the urge to coo.

Hunter was laid on his back. Rachel's head was tucked under his chin and one of his arms curling around her back. They were still fast asleep.

Satisfied that they had done nothing but sleep, Naomi snapped a quick picture with her phone before leaving the room again.

She would let them sleep a little longer before they had breakfast and discussed Rachel's sleeping arrangements for the next night.

* * *

 **E/n:** Hello! I know it's been a while, but I took a small break (literally a week) in order to recharge and get things flowing again.

I'd like to address a reviewer quickly? I'm not going to use a name since I think they'll know who they are. So the things they pointed out where these - the length of the chapters and the "excitement" I suppose of the story. I think all of you could benefit from reading what I have to say about it.

The thing is this story is never going to be one with long chapters. I put a minimum word count of 1000 into each chapter and write after that until the chapter satisfies me. That's what works best for me because if I spend too much time on something I lose interest. I prefer to update quickly and frequently than with long chapters. Secondly, this story is never going to be that exciting. I hate to tell you that, but it's true. It's literally just two people slowly falling in love with each other and having a semi-normal relationship. If you want that kind of story, you are honestly better off unsubscribing from this one.

Alright with that said, I will see you guys with the next chapter soon!

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	25. Chapter 25: Lazy Saturday

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **2** **5** **:** Lazy Saturday

* * *

When Hunter finally made his way downstairs, he found Rachel and his mother seated at the kitchen island. His girlfriend was leaning over, examining a photo album, while his mother ate cut up strawberries from a bowl.

"Nooooo," he groaned. He knew exactly what was contained in the seafoam green book in front of Rachel. "It's too early for baby pictures."

"It's never too early to embarrass you," his mother retorted.

Rachel gave a soft laugh. "You were a cute kid, Hunter."

He hummed softly as he walked over to her. He rested his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. He settled one palm over her stomach and let the other rest on top of it.

"I'm still cute," he said.

"Of course you are," she agreed. She turned her head, pressing her lips briefly to his cheek. "Absolutely adorable."

He gave satisfied little hum before turning his attention to the book.

The page she was on had the words 'Age Six' scribbled at the top and five photos pressed into the pages.

The top photo on the first page had him and Emerson standing next to each other. They were grinning, Hunter showing off a bloody mouth and a gap in his front teeth while Emerson had blood on his fingers and a white tooth in his spread palm. Under the photo was a plastic bag with a small tooth in it, someone had written the words 'Hunter's first tooth' on it in sharpie. Below the tooth was a picture of him sitting on the front steps of his childhood home with his hands buried in the top of a giant pumpkin.

The second page begun with a picture of him riding a neon green bike down the street. Under it was one of him at the zoo with a group of other children. There was a large snake settled across several of the children's laps. The final picture was one of him and his mother at what looked to be one of his father's work parties. He was clinging to her leg, half hidden behind it, as she spoke to a woman in front of her. Her hand was resting on top of his head.

"I remember that," Hunter remarked, gesturing towards the photo of him and Emerson. "My tooth was loose and Warner told us if we didn't get it out then I would choke on it when I went to sleep. So Emerson yanked it out."

His mother gave a soft sigh. "That tooth was no where near ready to come out. Don't let the picture fool you, Rachel, there were a lot of tears that day."

"I can imagine," she said. Her voice was tinted with amusement.

"How'd you lose your first tooth?" Hunter asked. He turned his head so he was looking at her.

Glanced at him before humming softly in thought. After a moment, she said, "Passover when I was six. I took a bite of matzo and it fell out."

"Ouch."

"I don't really remember it hurting all that much."

He made a soft sound before pressing his lips to the bottom of her jaw where he could feel the hard bones of her lower teeth. She raised an eyebrow at him. He gave a small smile. "Just in case it did."

"It was a top tooth," Rachel informed, reaching up to pat him on the head, "but the thought is appreciated."

"As sweet as you two are," his mother interrupted, drawing both of their attention to her, "I'd like to talk to you about last night now that your both awake."

"Oh..." Rachel's gaze dropped to the counter. "I am sorry about that, Mrs. Clarington. I feel childish for not being able to sleep by myself."

"It's alright honey," she assured. "But I am going to have to make sure your fathers know since I know it was a worry of theirs."

"I understand."

She smiled at them before reaching for another strawberry, "Now, it might be a tight fit but I thought we could make the sofa up for the two of you tonight."

Hunter's mouth fell open. "You're going to let us sleep together again? Even though Rachel's dads-"

"I'll speak to them again today when I explain what happened last night. As long as they aren't opposed to the idea, I don't have a problem with it." She added, "And I don't think they will be as our living room has multiple cameras and pretty much no privacy."

The couple was silent, gaping at her easy acceptance.

"Mouths closed, you two. Now, Hunter, what do you want for breakfast?"

* * *

"You know, I think you're really lucky."

They'd spent the day with his mother, watching movies and helping her with the small flower garden in the backyard, and now they were spending sometime with each other while she fixed dinner.

Hunter was laid back in one of the loungers on the back patio while Rachel sat between his legs with her back against his chest. She held one of his hands in hers, absently tracing the fingers on the back of his hand with one of her fingertips.

"Why?" he asked. His voice came out slow and sleepy. The warm weight of Rachel in his lap combined with the dark of the sky above them had been luring him

"You've got such a lovely woman as a mother," Rachel murmured. "I'm jealous."

"You have two amazing fathers," Hunter pointed out.

"You still have a father, even if he's not around," Rachel answered. She gave a soft hum, tapping her index finger against the center of his hand. "Have I ever told you about my mother?"

Hunter had been staring up at the stars as she spoke, but now his gaze snapped down to her. With the way they were sitting, he couldn't see her face.

"No," he said after a moment. "I didn't know you knew her."

"It's a long story. To sum it up, she sought me out a few years ago and things didn't go so well. She was teaching at my school earlier this year and I didn't find it any easier to connect to her know than it was then." She started tracing hearts into his skin. "So you see, I think you're really lucky to have the relationship with your mother that you have.

He made a sound of understanding. He twisted his hand in her grip so that he could lace their fingers together and leaned forward to drop a kiss against her shoulder. "We'll share mine then." Then,

After a moment, she nodded. Her voice had softened as she murmured, "I'd like that."

To dispel some of the tension, he added, "I'm pretty sure she likes you more than me already. No one else lets her win at Mario Kart."

* * *

His mother was right about the couch being a tight fit.

When he and Rachel squeezed onto it to sleep for the night, he found himself putting his arm around here less because he wanted to hold her (though he did) and more because he was afraid she would hit the ground if he let go.

Despite that small fear, Hunter found it easy to drift to sleep.

They were leaving in the morning, but it had been a good weekend. He'd gotten to see his mother, she had seemed to like Rachel, and Rachel had seemed to like her as well.

The warm feeling the weekend had left in his chest lured him to sleep without any problems.

* * *

 **E/n:** I am not sure how I feel about this chapter so I don't have much to say?

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	26. Chapter 26: Sunday Goodbyes

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **2** **6** **:** Sunday Goodbyes

* * *

"Make sure to call me once you drop Rachel off," his mother said.

It was Sunday morning and they were standing outside by his car.

Rachel had said her goodbyes first and sat in the passengers seat with her head tilted down to her phone to give them some privacy.

"I will."

"And again when you get to Dalton so I know your alright."

"I will."

"And don't wait three months before visiting again, alright?"

"I won't," Hunter promised. "It really wasn't on purpose, mom. There was just a lot going on."

"I know." With a soft smile, she stepped forward to wrap him in a hug. He returned it, wrapping his arms around her tightly. As they hugged, his mother murmured, "I pulled you away from a lot when I asked you to move out here with me and I am so glad you're happy here."

"Happier," Hunter said. He squeezed her tightly before letting go. "I'm much happier here than I was there."

"I can see that." Her smile was soft and knowing as her eyes flickered briefly to Rachel. "We'll have to see if her fathers will let her visit DC with us this summer so she can meet the rest of the family. Your father would like her. You know how he feels about ambition.

"I'd like that." Hunter ducked down to press a kiss to his mother's cheek. "We've got to get going. I'll talk to you soon."

"Once you drop Rachel off," his mother reminded him.

Hunter gave a small nod as he looped around to the driver seat, "And again when I get to Dalton."

* * *

Half an hour later found them a gas station.

Rachel was sitting in the drivers seat, her legs crossed under her and the bag of Sour Patch kids he'd gotten her while he was inside paying in the dip, while he pumped the gas.

"Are you disappointed?"

Hunter glanced over at Rachel. He raised an eyebrow, "Should I be? I thought we had a good weekend."

"We did," Rachel assured. She had a blue candy gripped between two of her fingers and was focused on it rather than Hunter. "But you told me on Friday that you thought we might have...gone further this weekend. We slept together but we didn't _sleep_ together."

"I also told you on Friday that it was fine if we didn't," Hunter pointed out. "I just wanted to be prepared in case it happened."

Her eyes flickered up to him as she murmured, "You can be disappointed even if you didn't expect it."

"I'm not disappointed that we didn't have sex," Hunter said. He wondered briefly why Rachel had decided to have this conversation in the parking lot instead of when they'd been in the car with a little more privacy. He figured it had at least a little to do with the lack of escape routes should the conversation have taken a more awkward turn. "I'm not in any rush."

She gave a soft hum as she flipped the candy in her hand over her fingers. "Really?"

"Really. When it happens, it'll happen. Until then I'm fine with waiting," Hunter assured. He found himself frowning a bit in thought. He turned over her disbelief and closed off manner whenever it was brought up. Tentatively, he asked, "Did one of your other boyfriends try pressuring you into sex...?"

"Jesse left me," Rachel said. Her fingers had squeezed tighter around the candy. "He was...He was the kind of boy who had never had a girl say no to him and when I did he stormed out. He came back a few days later to apologize, but Finn had made it clear how much he didn't want and I didn't want to lose him so I told him I was ready. I backed out on him again. He backed off after that, but I don't think he ever really forgave me for it."

Not for the first time, Hunter found himself wondering about Jesse St. James.

Whenever Rachel brought him up, it was because she was divulging some horrible thing he had done, but at the same time Hunter had the sneaking suspicion that Jesse and Rachel's relationship had meant something to her that her relationship with Finn never had.

"I'm not going to walk away from you just because you aren't ready for sex," Hunter said. "I'm a virgin too, you know? It's not as if you're depriving me of anything."

"Mmmm."

With a swift motion, he locked the pump so it would fill the car itself.

He leaned forward, placing a palm on each of Rachel's knees. He bumped his forehead against hers, forcing her eyes up to meet his.

"Your other boyfriends were idiots," Hunter declared when she looked at him. "But I am not. I love you and nothing as stupid and insignificant as sex is worth losing you."

The shock that flickered through her eyes made Hunter's chest pang.

"I mean it," he swore. He tipped forward, sealing their lips together even as he heard the click of the pump shutting off as it reached the limit. "Nothing is worth that."

* * *

It was going on noon when they finally pulled into Rachel's driveway an hour later.

When she had gathered her bags, she came around to his side of the car and leaned in the open window.

"I'd walk you in but your dads are giving me a death glare," Hunter said.

They both glanced over at the house. Hiram had pulled aside the living room curtains and was peering at the two of them.

"They're not very happy with me," Rachel admitted.

"Because of the other night?"

"Yes. They chewed me out on the phone, but I'm sure there's more coming."

Hunter made a soft sound. "I was planning on picking you up from school tomorrow, so let me know if they ground you."

"Oh. You don't have to do that," Rachel argued. "You've got to be sick of hour long car rides at this point."

"Not sick of seeing you though."

Hunter grinned up at her.

She let out a soft laugh before leaning over to kiss him quickly.

"I should get inside," she murmured when she pulled away.

"Alright." He pressed their lips together again real quick. "See you tomorrow?"

"As long as I'm not grounded."

* * *

 **En:** this is one of the shorter chapters of the series, but I am actually quite pleased with the final result.

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed


	27. Chapter 27: Audition

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Chapter** **2** **7** **:** Audition

* * *

The next few weeks passed quickly for Hunter.

He picked Rachel up on Mondays. Sometimes Sebastian came with him and they picked up Kurt as well before going out to the Lima bean or going out to seeing a movie in Lima's tiny theater. Sometimes it was just the two of them and they went to the music store or the small vegan cafe they'd become regulars at.

He spent his weekdays at Dalton with Sebastian. They spent their class periods making fun of Nick in German until he got fed up enough to swear at them loud enough for a teacher to hear him, their lacrosse practices making wide hand gestures when they were too out of breath to speak, and their Warbler practices trying to do better renditions of each others solos since competition season was over.

His weekends were chaotic. He was more diligent about making sure he drove up to see his mother. He spent time hanging around with Rachel, Kurt, and Sebastian – sometimes in Westerville, sometimes in Lima.

Before he knew it, March had faded out and April had passed by.

With the beginning of May came Rachel and Kurt's NYADA auditions.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Hunter questioned.

He was sitting on his bed in his dorm room. His legs were crossed under him, palms pressing down on his knees as he kept the phone close to his ear with his shoulder. Sebastian laid down on the bed next to him, back against the mattress and his feet against the wall as he held his phone out above his head.

They had decided to skip class as Rachel and Kurt were currently waiting outside an auditorium for their turn to audition.

"Nervous," Rachel reported. "It feels like everything I want is right in front of me and all I have to do is reach for it."

He didn't really _want_ to add more stress, but he found himself pointing out, "That's pretty much what's happening."

"I'm excited too," she added. "I want it all so bad."

"You'll get it," he assured. "You'll do great during your audition and you'll get into NYADA. And after you graduate, you'll take Broadway by storm."

She took a deep breath. "Your confidence in me is reassuring."

"I'm just stating the facts." He glanced at the alarm on the nightstand. "Thirty more minutes until Kurt's audition."

"And forty until mine."

"You want me to stay on the phone with you the whole time?"

"Oh god yes."

* * *

They spent the next twenty minutes routing between things. They helped Sebastian answer questions on Trivia Crack so he could beat Jeff, Hunter sung a few snippets from the songs swimming around in his head, and they played tic-tac-toe by calling out the squares while both two person teams kept their own grids. Hunter and Sebastian had drawn theirs on Hunter's knee while Kurt and Rachel had found a tissue in her purse.

When there were ten minutes until Kurt's audition, Hunter passed his phone off to Sebastian and excused himself to go grab a soda from the vending machine in their dorms common room. When he came back, he wished Kurt a quick good luck before the other was off to his audition.

When Kurt's audition finished, Hunter had already started in on a pep talk to Rachel and afterwards, he was too busy chewing nervously at his fingernails to listen when he recounted his audition for Sebastian.

* * *

Rachel took a deep breath as the first strands of Don't Rain On My Parade began to flood the auditorium.

She thought about Kurt throwing open the door of a dingy loft, because Kurt absolutely refused to live in a dorm after his experience at Dalton, and ranting about some fashion disaster he'd seen on the street as he carried their groceries in. She thought about visiting Sebastian in a tiny dorm room at NYU and him teasing that it was the price for a real degree. She thought about running into a cafe twenty minutes late to find Sebastian and Kurt had managed to decipher a text she sent while weaving through people and were still waiting for her.

She thought about picking Hunter up from the train or bus station. She thought about him dressed in uniform because he'd left just after his last class while he carried a dufflebag with his clothes over his shoulder. She thought about him exhausted and cranky from four hours of travel, but grinning ear to ear when he saw her.

One way or another, Rachel would make her way to New York. But without NYADA she wouldn't have any of those things.

Her cue crept closer.

Rachel steeled her shoulders and gave it all she had, "Don't tell me not to live, just sit and putter!"

* * *

 **E/n:** So Imma be real with you, this chapter is no where near the usual word count but I haven't had internet in five days and I wanted to at least give you something?

Review and favorite/follow if you enjoyed!


	28. Epilogue

**Meet Cutes Are Better the Second Time**

 **Epilogue:** **Five** **Years Later**

* * *

He dropped his duffel down, far enough off to the side of the door that no one would trip on it come morning, before looking around.

The apartment looked much the same as it had the last time he'd been there. An open text book sat on the coffee table with an empty coffee cup sat near it and a scribbled in note book. Rather then being covered in books, the bookshelf had sketches pinned to the wood and fabrics stacked behind it. Through the doorway, he could just see the kitchen island and the sheet music scattered across it.

As he made his way through the dark living room, moonlight streaming in the windows and the red lights of the electronics in the room the only sources of light, he found himself smiling.

He lived hours away, but this was his home and it felt nice to be back.

He walked past the first door in the hallway. He'd left a message with the occupants to let them know they didn't have to pick him up from the train station. He hoped they would be smart enough to look at their phones before rushing out of the apartment.

When he reached the second door, he pushed it open and slipped inside.

The bedroom was painted a deep red and all the furniture was a dark brown. The back wall was primarily windows. There was a bookshelf against the right wall, filled with CDs and movies. There were a few books of sheet music tucked on it as well. Next to it was a large black stereo with a small stand-by light.

The bed was on the left wall.

Rachel was sprawled out on it. Brown hair fanned out on her pillow. She was wearing one of his old training tee-shirts with a pair of black shorts that peeked out at the edge.

The sight of her had warmth spreading through his chest.

He tried to be quiet as he stripped out of his uniform until he was left in nothing but his boxers, but when he went to crawl into bed she stirred.

She shifted against the sheets, he could hear them crinkling under her, as she woke. She looked at him through sleepy brown eyes. Her voice was thick with it as she murmured, "Hunter. You weren't supposed to get here until tomorrow morning."

"I skipped my last class," Hunter answered. A soft smile turned on his lips as he reached forward, brushing some hair from her face.

She hummed softly, moving her head into his touch. "You shouldn't do that. This is your last semester before graduation."

"It's fine. It's only one class," he said.

She made another soft sound before scooting back in the bed, making room for him to crawl up with her.

When he was settled next to her, she wiggled close to him.

By now, sleeping together was familiar to them. It was easy to slip his arms around her, holding her tightly to him.

"Glad your home," she murmured against his chest.

Hunter thought about just how true that was.

Ohio was filled with memories. It had Rachel's senior prom and Rachel laughing so hard she was crying as he twirled her around on the dance floor. It had a five hour long conversation with Kurt in the Lima Bean as he debated between NYADA and FIT. It had Sebastian breaking his hand on Blaine's face their senior year when New Directions tried to claim the Warblers had been using steroids. But he hadn't been back there for more then a week, usually with Rachel to visit her parents as his mother had moved back in with his father, in years.

Annapolis was where he lived, but that was mostly all it was. He had friends at school, but they weren't his family the way Sebastian, Kurt, and Rachel were.

The apartment technically belonged to Sebastian's parents, but the four of them had had free reign of the place since moving in during Sebastian's freshmen year at NYU. Rachel and Kurt had sat in the living room arguing about floor plans as Sebastian and Hunter carried boxes in. They had painted the walls in the living room, throwing paint at each other and swinging their hips to music the whole while. They had put the furniture together themselves, Sebastian letting out swears each time a piece wouldn't fit where it was supposed to go.

They had turned the apartment into their home.

* * *

E/n: So after writing and posting the last chapter, I realized that I liked it that way? I liked how hopeful an ending it was, that it left the rest for the reader to decide.

But...then I realized I hadn't actually told you guys that and also that I wanted them to be together pretty much forever? So I decided to add this epilogue.

Thank you for reading and enjoying this story! It was fun to write such an underrated ship!


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